Relative duration of notes

Durations of notes in a melody line are built from "building blocks" which are all based on a reference note (a whole note), and fractions of that reference (whole) note. A whole note can be divided into two half notes (minims), each half note can be divided again into two quarter notes (crotchets), each quarter note can once again be divided into two eighth notes (quavers), and so on. Therefore the duration of a whole note (whichever that duration may be) is relatively twice as long as the duration of a half note, the duration of a half note is relatively twice as long as the duration of a quarter note, and so on. The following chart shows the relative duration of the most common notes (durations) used in bagpipe music, with the names and details listed below:

English Name:

Whole Note

Spanish Name:

Redonda (semibreve)

Fraction of whole note:

English Name:

Minim

(half note)

Spanish Name:

Blanca

Fraction of whole note:

1/2

English Name:

Crotchet

(quarter note)

Spanish Name:

Negra

Fraction of whole note:

1/4

English Name:

Quaver

(eighth note)

Spanish Name:

Corchea

Fraction of whole note:

1/8

English Name:

Semi quaver

(sixteenth note)

Spanish Name:

Semi corchea

Fraction of whole note:

1/16

English Name:

Demisemi quaver

(thirtysecondth note)

Spanish Name:

Fusa

Fraction of whole note:

1/32

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