In music notation, a whole note represents four beats and is represented by an open circle with no stem. It is so named because it lasts for the duration of a whole measure in common time. Also called a semibreve.

A series of whole notes on the staff looks something like this:

    /\                                                     
---| /-----------------------------------------------------
   |/                                                      
---/------------------O------------------------------------
  /|            O           O                              
-/-|/\----------------------------O------------------------
|  |  |                                                    
|--|--|----------------------------------------------------
 \ |  |                                                    
--\|_/-----------------------------------------------------
   |                                                       
  \|