Quarter Note

A note lasting a quarter of a whole note.

Two quarter notes fill a half note, four fill a whole note, and one splits into two eighth notes (♪). In the 4/4 time common in pop, rock and many songs it gets one beat, the one you tap your foot to. Its shape gives only its length; where it sits on the five-line staff gives the pitch, so ♩ alone is no particular note.

British English calls it a crotchet. Its family line runs back to the semiminima, a short note of medieval mensural notation, the system that set down how long notes last and became the basis of Western rhythm writing.

What does ♩ = 120 mean?

It sets the tempo: 120 quarter notes per minute.

This is a metronome mark, usually printed above the first bar and used to set a metronome or any steady click. ♩ = 60 is one quarter note per second, slow and steady; ♩ = 180 is quick. Musicians write it the same way in texts and forums, a common reason people need to type this character.

In an ordinary chat, a ♩ or two beside a line of text usually just marks humming, singing or song lyrics, a plainer cousin of 🎵.