Crossword Genius

Proceed on a quiet note, that's plain (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

steppe

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'that's plain' is the definition.
(steppe is a kind of plain)

'proceed on a quiet note' is the wordplay.
'proceed on' becomes 'step' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'a quiet' becomes 'p' (music symbol for 'piano', ie soft or quiet).
'note' becomes 'e' (musical note).
'step'+'p'+'e'='STEPPE'

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(Other definitions for steppe that I've seen before include "Large area of unforested grassland" , "Dry grassy plain of eastern Europe and Asia" , "Dry plain of Eurasia" , "Large area of flat grassland in Europe or Siberia" , "Edxtensive plain" .)

I've seen this clue in the Evening Standard.
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