Definition

Noun: A musical interval equal to half of a semitone. It is a microtonal interval, smaller than the smallest standard interval in most Western music systems.

Usage

A "quarter-tone" is a specific term used in music theory and performance to describe a pitch that lies exactly halfway between two notes that are a semitone apart on a standard chromatic scale. It is primarily used in discussions of microtonal music, non-Western musical traditions, and some contemporary classical compositions.

Examples

• The composer's piece required the violinist to play several quarter-tones, creating an unusual and haunting melody.
• Some traditional Middle Eastern maqams use intervals that are closer to a quarter-tone than to a standard Western semitone.
• To play that note correctly, you need to lower the pitch by a quarter-tone.

Advanced Usage

• Quarter-tone music: Music that systematically uses the quarter-tone as a building block, expanding the standard 12-tone scale to a 24-tone scale.
  • The festival featured a concert dedicated to quarter-tone music from the 20th century.
• Quarter-tone flat/sharp: A notation indicating a pitch lowered or raised by a quarter-tone, often symbolized by specific accidentals like a slash through a flat or sharp sign.
  • The score had a note with a quarter-tone sharp, which was challenging for the pianist.

Variants and Related Words

• Quarter-tone is the standard compound noun form.
• Microtone (noun): A general term for any musical interval smaller than a semitone. A quarter-tone is a specific type of microtone.
• Semitone (noun): Also called a half step, it is the smallest standard interval in most Western music, equivalent to two quarter-tones.

Synonyms

• Half-semitone
• Fifty-cent interval (in the context of dividing the octave into 24 equal parts, where a semitone is 100 cents)

Related Concepts

• Equal temperament: The common tuning system for Western instruments. Quarter-tone equal temperament is a system that divides the octave into 24 equal intervals (quarter-tones).
• Just intonation: A tuning system based on pure intervals, which can also produce microtonal differences compared to equal temperament.

Noun

1. half of a semitone