What is "sixteenth note"

Semiquaver \Sem"i*qua`ver\ (s[e^]m"[i^]*kw[=a]`v[~e]r), n. (Mus.) A note of half the duration of the quaver; -- now usually called a sixteenth note.

n. (context music English) a note that has 1/16 the value of a whole note

n. a musical note having the time value of a sixteenth of a whole note [syn: semiquaver]

thumb|right|Figure 1. A 16th note with stem facing up, a 16th note with stem facing down, and a 16th rest. thumb|right|Figure 2. Four 16th notes beamed together.

In music, a 16th note ( American) or semiquaver ( British) is a note played for half the duration of an eighth note (quaver), hence the name. It is the equivalent of the semifusa in mensural notation, first found in 15th-century notation .

Sixteenth notes are notated with an oval, filled-in note head and a straight note stem with two flags. (see Figure 1). A corresponding symbol is the 16th rest (or semiquaver rest), which denotes a silence for the same duration. As with all notes with stems, 16th notes are drawn with stems to the right of the notehead, facing up, when they are below the middle line of the musical staff. When they are on or above the middle line, they are drawn with stems on the left of the note head, facing down. Flags are always on the right side of the stem, and curve to the right. On stems facing up, the flags start at the top and curve down; for downward facing stems, the flags start at the bottom of the stem and curve up. When multiple 16th notes or eighth notes (or 32nd notes, etc.) are next to each other, the flags may be connected with a beam, like the notes in Figure 2. Note the similarities in notating 16th notes and eighth notes. Similar rules apply to smaller divisions such as 32nd notes (demisemiquavers) and 64th notes (hemidemisemiquavers).

In Unicode, U+266C is a pair of beamed semiquavers.

The note derives from the semifusa in mensural notation. However, semifusa also designates the modern 64th note in Spanish, Catalan and Portuguese.

The name of this note (and rest) in different languages varies greatly:

Language

note name

rest name

Catalan

semicorxera

silenci de semicorxera

Chinese

十六分音符 ( pinyin: shíliùfēn yīnfú)

十六分休止符 ( pinyin: shíliùfēn xiūzhǐfú)

Danish

sekstenedelsnode

sekstenedelspause

Dutch

zestiende noot

zestiende rust

Finnish

kuudestoistaosanuotti

kuudestoistaosatauko

French

double-croche

quart de soupir

German

Sechzehntelnote

Sechzehntelpause

Greek

δέκατο έκτο

παύση δεκάτου έκτου

Italian

semicroma

pausa di semicroma

Japanese

16分音符

16分休符

Korean

16분음표(十六分音標 simnyukbun eumpyo)

16분쉼표(十六分-標 simnyukbun swimpyo)

Portuguese

semicolcheia

pausa de semicolcheia

Romanian

şaisprezecime

pauză de şaisprezecime

Russian

шестнадцатая нота

шестнадцатая пауза

Serbian

šesnaestin(k)a / песнаестина

šesnaestinska pauza / шеснаестинска пауза

Spanish

semicorchea

silencio de semicorchea

Swedish

sextondelsnot

sextondelspaus

Thai

โน๊ตตัวเขบ็ตสองชั้น

ตัวหยุดตัวเขบ็ตสองชั้น