| A "crotchet" is a musical note that can be seen in | | | | semibreve. So, if the semibreve is the whole, all |
| sheet music for all musical instruments. It can be | | | | other notes can be described as a part of the |
| found in all music from beginners to advanced. | | | | whole, and knowing that four quarters equals the |
| Although it's probably more used in beginners | | | | whole or whole note in this case and the whole |
| music for reasons of simplicity. | | | | equals four, then a quarter of four equals one and |
| The crotchet looks like a black coloured oval | | | | so a quarter note or crotchet equals one beat. |
| shape with a short stem. Depending on where on | | | | Also related to the crotchet is the crotchet rest |
| the staff it is written, determines whether the | | | | or quarter rest. This is a musical silence worth one |
| stem point upwards or downwards. There are no | | | | beat. In addition, the dotted crotchet or dotted |
| strict rules about this but normally, if the note is | | | | quarter note which to confuse things even more, |
| written below the middle line of the staff the | | | | is worth one and a half beats. It's useful to know |
| stem points upwards and is written on the right | | | | that a dot written on the right side of any musical |
| side of the crotchet. Above the middle line the | | | | note, increases that's notes value by half as much |
| stem points downwards and on the left side of | | | | again. |
| the crotchet. | | | | Even though notes such as the crotchet, which |
| There is a lot of confusion with the crotchets | | | | we now know, can be referred to as a quarter |
| value in terms of timing because it's also referred | | | | note, it is useful to know the actual name of the |
| to as a quarter note but is worth one beat. To | | | | note. The smallest note value in modern music is |
| better understand why a quarter note is worth | | | | a sixty fourth note. That means this note will go |
| one beat you have to understand that the term | | | | sixty four times in to a semibreve. The classical |
| quarter note is in reference to the whole note | | | | name of this note is a "hemidemisemiquaver". |
| called a semibreve, which is worth four beats. | | | | Although there are shorter note values, they are |
| All musical notes are referenced from the | | | | very rarely if ever used in music today. |