Quarter-tone (Noun)
Meaning
Half of a semitone.
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Examples
- The composer experimented with microtones, incorporating quarter-tones into her piece to create a sense of tension and unease.
- In some Middle Eastern musical traditions, the use of quarter-tones adds a distinctive emotional flavor to the melodies.
- The violinist's use of quarter-tones in the passage created a sense of musical uncertainty that added to the overall drama of the piece.
- The composer's use of quarter-tones in the introduction helped to blur the distinction between the different keys, creating a sense of tonal ambiguity.
- The singer's voice was capable of producing extremely subtle pitch variations, including quarter-tones, which she used to great effect in her rendition of the Arabic folk song.