| A "quaver" is a written musical note found in | | | | referenced to the semibreve, which is worth four |
| sheet music. This musical note is used by all | | | | beats. Using simple mathematics, we can work |
| musicians and for all musical instruments. | | | | out the value of the quaver. Use this formula: |
| The quaver is written as a black-coloured oval | | | | Divide the semibreve (four) by the eighth note |
| shape with a stem on the right or left side | | | | (eight) to get the eighth note value (half) |
| depending on where on the staff it is written. At | | | | All musical notes use the semibreve as a |
| the end of the stem, there is a tail. This tail can | | | | reference note. A semibreve is also known as a |
| be written in various ways. It can be curly, | | | | whole note. Using simple fractions you can work |
| making its way back to the oval shape or it can | | | | out what different types of notes are called. We |
| be straight and shorter, almost like a tick. If more | | | | have already explained eighth notes, using the |
| than one quaver is written so they appear next | | | | above formula you can work out note values for |
| to each other then instead of having tails they will | | | | quarter notes and half notes. |
| be joined together by a line called a beam. | | | | Also related to the quaver is the quaver rest or |
| When the quaver is written above the middle line | | | | eighth rest. This is a musical silence worth half a |
| on the staff, the stem will be written on the left | | | | beat. |
| side and the tail will be written on the right side of | | | | Another relation to the quaver is the dotted |
| the stem always making its way back to the | | | | quaver or dotted eighth note, which is worth |
| black coloured oval. When written below the | | | | three quarters of a beat. A dot written on the |
| middle line on the staff the stem will be on the | | | | right side of any musical note increases that |
| right side and the tail will again be written on the | | | | notes value by half as much again. So for the |
| right side. | | | | quaver, half of half equals a quarter, add the |
| The quaver is also known as an eighth note and | | | | quarter to the quavers value of a half to get |
| its musical time value is half a beat. This is | | | | three quarters of a beat. |
| because the quaver or eighth note should be | | | | |