hemidemisemiquaver: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Rare / TechnicalHighly specialized, formal, technical (music)
Quick answer
What does “hemidemisemiquaver” mean?
A musical note with the time value of half of a demisemiquaver, equal to one sixty-fourth of a whole note.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A musical note with the time value of half of a demisemiquaver, equal to one sixty-fourth of a whole note.
A very short musical duration; used metaphorically to denote an extremely brief moment or a tiny fragment of something.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
This term is standard in British musical notation. In American English, the equivalent term is 'sixty-fourth note'. 'Hemidemisemiquaver' is rarely, if ever, used in American musical contexts.
Connotations
In the UK, it is the standard, neutral technical term. In the US, using 'hemidemisemiquaver' would sound arcane, British, or deliberately pedantic.
Frequency
Common within British music theory, sheet music, and professional discussion. Virtually nonexistent in American English outside of discussions of comparative terminology or historical texts.
Grammar
How to Use “hemidemisemiquaver” in a Sentence
The piece contains [NUMERAL] hemidemisemiquavers.The passage is filled with rapid hemidemisemiquavers.Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used exclusively in musicology, theory, and composition texts, primarily in a UK context.
Everyday
Not used in everyday conversation.
Technical
The primary domain. Used in sheet music notation, musical instructions, and discussions among musicians, composers, and conductors in the UK and Commonwealth countries.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “hemidemisemiquaver”
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “hemidemisemiquaver”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “hemidemisemiquaver”
- Misspelling (e.g., hemi-demi-semi-quaver).
- Using it in general language to mean 'a tiny amount' of something non-temporal.
- Confusing it with a demisemiquaver (thirty-second note) or a semiquaver (sixteenth note).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is not. American English uses the term 'sixty-fourth note'. 'Hemidemisemiquaver' is a British English term.
It is a rest symbol with four flags or hooks, similar in appearance to the note but without a note head, positioned on the staff.
A quasihemidemisemiquaver or hundred twenty-eighth note (1/128) is shorter, though it is exceedingly rare in practical music.
Only in highly figurative or humorous language to describe something vanishingly brief or small (e.g., 'a hemidemisemiquaver of doubt'). It is not standard in general English.
A musical note with the time value of half of a demisemiquaver, equal to one sixty-fourth of a whole note.
Hemidemisemiquaver is usually highly specialized, formal, technical (music) in register.
Hemidemisemiquaver: in British English it is pronounced /ˌhɛmɪˌdɛmɪˈsɛmɪkweɪvə/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌhɛmiˌdɛmiˈsɛmikweɪvər/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Remember the chain of halves: HEMI (half) + DEMI (half) + SEMI (half) + quaver (an eighth note). So it's half of a half of a half of an eighth note, which is a sixty-fourth.
Conceptual Metaphor
BREVITY IS A SMALL FRACTION / A MOMENT IS A MUSICAL NOTE (e.g., 'It was over in a hemidemisemiquaver of time').
Practice
Quiz
What is the American English equivalent of a hemidemisemiquaver?