Meaning & use
double whole note
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablemusicAmerican
A very long musical note that lasts as long as two whole notes, drawn as an open oval with vertical lines on each side.
Grammar: Countable: a double whole note, two double whole notes.
Patterns
- a double whole note in something
The hymn ends on a double whole note, so the choir holds the final chord for eight beats.
In four-four time, a double whole note fills two entire measures.
Early music is full of double whole notes that modern editors often shorten.
Word forms
| plural | double whole notes |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold a double whole note
- The organ holds a double whole note under the melody.
- write a double whole note
- Few composers write a double whole note today.
- double whole note rest
- A double whole note rest shows two bars of silence.
- double whole note in four-four
- A double whole note in four-four time lasts eight beats.
- two whole notes tied
- A double whole note is the same as two whole notes tied.
Synonyms and how they differ
- breve
- Breve is the British name for the same note, and it is also the term used in many other countries.
- whole note
- A whole note lasts half as long as a double whole note, so the two are not interchangeable.
Word family
Commonly confused: double whole note or whole note? double whole note or double note?
double whole note vs whole note
A whole note lasts four beats in common time, while a double whole note lasts eight.
double whole note vs double note
Double note is not a standard term and can be confused with doubled notes in harmony.
Practice
In four-four time, how many beats does a double whole note last?
Choose one answer.
A whole note lasts four beats, so a double whole note lasts eight. Four would be a plain whole note.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “double whole note”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.