Awful note - I left, hurriedly (7)

I believe the answer is:

ghastly

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'awful note i left hurriedly' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this definition defines the answer.

'awful note i left hurriedly' is the wordplay.
'awful note' becomes 'g' (musical note. I am not sure about the 'awful' bit.).
'left' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'hurriedly' becomes 'hastily' (synonyms).
'hastily' with 'i' removed is 'hastly'.
'g'+'hastly'='GHASTLY'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for ghastly that I've seen before include "Awful" , "Gruesome, repellent" , "Very pale" , "Dreadful" , "Cadaverous" .)

I've seen this clue in The Daily Express.

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