The little we note (3)
I believe the answer is:
wee
'the little' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'we note' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 'e' (musical note).
'we'+'e'='WEE'
(Other definitions for wee that I've seen before include "Mini in Glasgow?" , "squeal" , "Minute" , "It's small in Scotland" , "number one" .)