Status: 09/07/25 11:32
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The little Acciaccatura

Here he is.

The tiny note that looks like a miniature quaver with a line across his tail. It has a pitch of D in this example.

Also known as a grace note or a crushed note, it has very little time value and just has to be sneaked in before the main note (i.e. before the quaver with a pitch of C).

Many people struggle to know how to pronounce the name of this little note, and there are several variations in circulation.

1) a-chacka-toor-a. This is the closest to the original Italian pronounciation.

2) akkia-cat-yura. This is also quite common.

3) axi-acat-yura. This is rather less common.

There are other ways of saying this very long name for a very short note, and even variations within the three that I've given above. With all these different choices, the key thing is not to panic.

People, well musicians anyway, will understand what you mean and if you really can't grasp any of them, just call it a grace note!

Last Updated: 25th October 2023

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