In order to know the meaning of the term eighth note, it is necessary, first of all, to discover its etymological origin. In this case, we can state that it is a word that derives from French, exactly from “crochee”, which can be translated as “crooked”.
An eighth note is a musical figure that is worth one eighth of a compasillo (a compass that lasts four black notes: that is, two white notes or one round note).
In Italy it is called chroma while in the UK and Canada it is known as “quaver”. That without forgetting that in the United States it responds to the name of “eighth note”.
The eighth note is graphically represented by an oval-shaped notehead that is painted black, with a vertical stem that has a single bracket and is shaped like a stem or hook. The direction of this escrow varies according to the position of the note and other issues.
The duration of eighth notes is half time in binary subdivision measures. That is why these figures are equivalent to 1/8 of a round (which is worth four beats), 1/4 of a white (two beats) and half of a black (one beat). Also to eight sixteenth notes, four sixteenth notes and two sixteenth notes. When a dot is added, the length of the shape is its usual value added to half of that value.
The rest of the eighth note, for its part, has the same value as the figure. This means that during that time (equivalent to half a quarter note), the music is paused and no sound is emitted.
If you want to type an eighth note on a computer keyboard using ASCII code, hold down the Alt key and then 1 and 3 (♪), in that order. To write two joined eighth notes, the combination is Alt + 1 and then 4 (♫).
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot ignore the fact that there is also another note that is the sixteenth note, which follows the eighth note in a scale from major to minor. Specifically, it is a musical figure that is equivalent to 1/16 of the value of the round.
The sixteenth note is represented by a black oval note head as well as a vertical stem that is made up of two brackets or virgules that take the form of corners or hooks.
We can state that the silence of the sixteenth note is its equivalent silence, that is, its silence has the same value. What this means is that during that time there is no emission of any type of sound.
In addition to everything indicated, it must be established that the value of the sixteenth note is equivalent to
-The eighth part of a white note.
-A 2 fusas.
-One sixteenth of a round.
-The quarter of a black.
-A 4 semifusas.
-In the middle of an eighth note.
