62 symbols you will meet in printed music, drawn the way engravers print them, with what each one tells you to do.
Also called G clef
Marks the staff as high-range music. Its curl circles the second line, which is the note G above middle C. Used for the right hand on piano, violin, flute, trumpet and most singing.
Learn the line notes E G B D F (Every Good Boy Does Fine) and the space notes F A C E.
Also called F clef
Marks the staff as low-range music. The two dots sit on either side of the fourth line, which is the F below middle C. Used for the left hand on piano, cello, bassoon and bass guitar.
Line notes are G B D F A (Good Boys Do Fine Always). Space notes are A C E G.
Also called alto clef, tenor clef, movable clef
A clef whose center marks middle C. On the middle line it is the alto clef, used by the viola. On the fourth line it is the tenor clef, used for high cello and trombone parts.
Find the center point of the clef: that line is middle C. Count up and down from there.
Also called semibreve
An open notehead with no stem. It lasts four beats in 4/4 time, the longest common note value, and equals two half notes or four quarter notes.
Count 1 2 3 4 and hold the note for all four counts.
Also called minim
An open notehead with a stem. It lasts two beats in 4/4 time and equals two quarter notes. Two half notes fill one measure of 4/4.
Count 1 2 and hold the note for both counts.
Also called crotchet
A filled notehead with a stem. It gets one beat in 4/4 time and is the note most songs use for the basic pulse. Four quarter notes fill one measure of 4/4.
Tap your foot once for each quarter note, saying 1 2 3 4.
Also called quaver
A filled notehead with a stem and one flag. It lasts half a beat in 4/4 time, so two eighth notes fit in the time of one quarter note.
Count 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and. Each number and each "and" gets one eighth note.
Also called semiquaver
A filled notehead with a stem and two flags. It lasts a quarter of a beat in 4/4 time, so four sixteenth notes fit in the time of one quarter note.
Count 1 e and a, 2 e and a, and so on. Each syllable is one sixteenth note.
Also called beams, grouped eighth notes
Notes with flags are joined by thick beams to show which notes belong to the same beat. Four beamed eighth notes last two beats in 4/4 time. Beams make the rhythm easier to read.
Treat each beamed group as one chunk of the beat, and count the beats under it.
Also called augmentation dot
A dot placed right after a notehead makes the note half as long again. A dotted half note lasts three beats, and a dotted quarter note lasts one and a half beats.
Add half of the note's value to itself: a half note (2) plus a quarter note (1) gives 3 beats.
Also called breve, double whole
An open notehead with a vertical line on each side. It lasts twice as long as a whole note, so eight beats in 4/4 time. It is rare in modern music but appears in older and choral scores.
Hold it for two whole measures of 4/4.
Also called semibreve rest, measure rest
A small filled box that hangs below the fourth line of the staff. It means four beats of silence in 4/4 time. It also means a whole measure of silence in any time signature.
Stay quiet for the whole measure, however many beats it has.
Also called minim rest
A small filled box that sits on top of the middle line of the staff. It means two beats of silence in 4/4 time. It is the same shape as a whole rest, but in a different place.
The half rest sits on the line, the whole rest hangs from the line. Count 1 2 silently.
Also called crotchet rest
A squiggly, zigzag sign in the middle of the staff. It means one beat of silence in 4/4 time, as long as a quarter note.
Count the beat silently. Four quarter rests make a full measure of 4/4.
Also called quaver rest
A sign like a slanted slash with a small flag on the left. It means half a beat of silence in 4/4 time, as long as an eighth note.
Count the "and" of the beat silently, or the number when the rest comes first.
Also called semiquaver rest
A sign like the eighth rest but with two flags. It means a quarter of a beat of silence in 4/4 time, as long as a sixteenth note.
It has one more flag than the eighth rest. Leave a very short gap.
Raises a note by one half step. It is written before the notehead, on the same line or space. Used in key signatures or as an accidental, and it lasts until the end of the measure.
On a piano, play the next key to the right, black or white.
Lowers a note by one half step. It is written before the notehead, on the same line or space. Used in key signatures or as an accidental, and it lasts until the end of the measure.
On a piano, play the next key to the left, black or white.
Cancels a sharp or flat and gives the note back its plain pitch, the white key on a piano. It lasts until the end of the measure, and it can cancel a flat or sharp from the key signature.
Play the plain note, with no sharp or flat, for that note name.
Raises a note by two half steps, which is one whole step. It is used when a note that is already sharp in the key must go up again. F𝄪 sounds the same as G.
Play the note two keys higher, a whole step up.
Lowers a note by two half steps, which is one whole step. It is used when a note that is already flat in the key must go down again. B𝄫 sounds the same as A.
Play the note two keys lower, a whole step down.
Also called 4/4, C
A letter C in place of a time signature. It means 4/4: four quarter-note beats in each measure. The C comes from old notation and does not stand for the word common, but it is a handy way to remember the name.
Count 1 2 3 4 in each measure.
Also called alla breve, 2/2
A letter C with a vertical line through it. It means 2/2: two half-note beats in each measure. The music is felt in two, so it sounds twice as quick as the same notes in 4/4.
Count 1 2 in each measure, with a half note as the beat.
Also called pp
Very soft. It is written pp, short for the Italian word pianissimo. It is quieter than piano, and one step above ppp.
Play so quietly that you almost whisper the music.
Also called p, soft
Soft. It is written p, short for the Italian word piano, and does not mean the instrument. It is quieter than mezzo piano and louder than pianissimo.
Play gently, with a light touch.
Also called mp, medium soft
Medium soft. It is written mp. It is quieter than mezzo forte but louder than piano, so it is the softest of the two medium levels.
Play a little under the middle volume.
Also called mf, medium loud
Medium loud. It is written mf. It is louder than mezzo piano but quieter than forte, and it is a good middle level when no dynamic is shown.
Play a little above the middle volume.
Also called f, loud
Loud. It is written f, short for the Italian word forte. It is louder than mezzo forte and quieter than fortissimo.
Play strongly and clearly, with a full tone.
Also called ff
Very loud. It is written ff, short for fortissimo. It is louder than forte, and one step below fff.
Play with great power while keeping a good tone.
Also called sfz, sf
A sudden, strong accent on one note or chord. It is written sfz. It is sharper and stronger than a regular accent, then the volume falls back at once.
Hit the note hard right at the start, then return to the volume that was there before.
Also called fp
Loud at first, then soft right away. It is written fp. The note starts at forte and drops at once to piano.
Strike the note loudly, then pull back the sound to soft after the attack.
Also called hairpin, cresc.
Get gradually louder. It is drawn as a hairpin that opens from a point toward the right, under the notes, or written as cresc. over several notes.
Start softer and grow steadily until you reach the end of the line or the next dynamic.
Also called hairpin, diminuendo, dim.
Get gradually softer. It is drawn as a hairpin that closes from open to a point toward the right, or written as decresc. or dim. over several notes.
Start louder and fade steadily until you reach the end of the line or the next dynamic.
A dot above or below the notehead. Play the note short and detached, with space after it. It cuts the note to about half its value, with the rest as silence.
Lift quickly after you play the note. Keep the beat steady.
A sideways wedge (>) above or below a notehead. Play that note with more force than the notes around it, with a sharper start.
Attack the note a little harder, but keep its normal length.
A short horizontal line above or below a notehead. Hold the note for its full length, often with slight stress. It tells you not to shorten the note.
Give the note its full value and a little weight, with no gap after it.
Also called wedge, spiccato wedge
A small, narrow wedge above or below a notehead. Play the note extremely short and sharp, even shorter than staccato. On strings, it is often played with a quick bounce of the bow.
Make the note very brief, with a sharp attack.
Also called accent wedge, strong accent, ^
A small upward pointing wedge (^) above or below a notehead. Play the note strongly and clearly, with a stronger accent than the sideways wedge, and often a bit shorter than its full value.
Press each note out with weight and a clear start.
Also called bird's eye, hold, pause
A curved arc with a dot beneath it, placed over a note or rest. Hold the note or rest longer than its written value, usually until the conductor or your ear says to move on.
Count the note's value, then keep holding about half as long again.
Also called comma, pause mark
A comma-shaped mark above the staff. Take a short breath, or lift slightly, at that point in the music. Singers and wind players use it to mark the end of a phrase.
Leave a very short gap, taking a breath, without losing the beat.
Also called railroad tracks, train tracks, stop
Two short slanted lines across the top of the staff. Stop the sound and pause briefly, then continue. It is a complete break in the flow, longer than a breath mark and not timed.
Stop playing and wait a moment, then begin again together.
A curved line joining two notes of the same pitch into one longer note. Play the first note and hold it through the second, without playing the second note again. The total value is both notes added together.
Add the two note values together and play once.
Also called phrase mark, legato line
A curved line over or under two or more notes of different pitches. Play them smoothly, connected without gaps. On winds it means one breath, on strings one bow stroke.
Connect the notes in a smooth line. Only the first note is newly articulated.
Also called opening repeat, repeat left
A thick line, thin line and two dots, with the dots on the right. It marks the beginning of a section to be played again. When you reach the end repeat, you come back here.
If there is no start sign, return to the beginning of the piece.
Also called closing repeat, repeat right
A thin line, thick line and two dots, with the dots on the left. Go back to the matching start repeat and play the section again, then continue after it.
Repeat only once unless the music says otherwise. Without a start sign, return to the beginning.
Also called sign
A sign that looks like an S crossed by a slash and with two dots. It marks a place you will return to when you see dal segno (D.S.) in the music.
Remember where it is. When you read D.S., jump back to this sign.
Also called tail, coda sign
A circle crossed by a vertical and a horizontal line. It marks the start of the closing section. When the music says "to coda," jump from the first sign to the second one.
After D.S. or D.C. al coda, skip ahead at the first coda sign to the second.
Also called D.S.
Italian for "from the sign." Go back to the segno sign and play on from there. It is normally followed by "al fine" to stop at fine, or by "al coda" to jump to the coda.
Look for the segno sign, restart there, and follow the next instruction.
Also called D.C.
Italian for "from the head." Go back to the very start of the piece and play again. It is normally followed by "al fine" to stop at fine, or by "al coda" to jump to the coda.
Return to the first measure, then follow the next instruction.
Also called tr
Written as tr above a note. Alternate very quickly between the written note and the note above it (a whole step or half step, as the key says) for the full length of the note.
Alternate quickly between the main note and the note above it. In older music the trill often starts on the upper note, in later music on the main note.
Also called gruppetto
A sideways S-shaped sign over a note. Play the note above, the main note, the note below, and then the main note again, quickly. It decorates the note.
Play four quick notes in a loop: upper, main, lower, main.
Also called lower mordent
A short zigzag with a vertical line through it. Play the written note, quickly the note below it, and back to the written note. It adds a quick bite to a note.
Three quick notes: main, lower neighbor, main.
Also called inverted mordent, pralltriller
A short zigzag with no line through it. Play the written note, quickly go up to the note above, and back to the written note. It is like a very short trill.
Three quick notes: main, upper neighbor, main. In older music it may start on the upper note.
Also called 8va, octave sign
A dashed line with 8va above the staff. Play the notes under the line one octave higher than written. With 8vb, or below the staff, they are played one octave lower. It saves ledger lines.
Play the notes an octave higher until the dashed line ends.
Also called Ped., sustain pedal
Ped. under the staff tells a pianist to press the right (sustain) pedal. The strings keep ringing after the keys are released, so the notes blend together.
Press the pedal when you see the sign, and hold until the release sign.
Also called pedal release, asterisk
A star or a bracket-like sign after a pedal mark. Lift your foot from the sustain pedal, which stops the ringing notes. It is usually seen after the Ped. mark.
Lift the foot at the sign, and press again for a new Ped. mark.
Also called measure line
A vertical line across the staff that divides the music into measures. Each measure holds the number of beats shown by the time signature.
Count a new measure after each line.
Also called section line
Two thin vertical lines across the staff. It marks the end of a section, or a change of key signature or time signature. It does not change the tempo or mean a stop.
Notice what changes after the double bar line, such as a new key.
Also called end line
A thin line followed by a thick line. It marks the end of the piece or movement. Hold the last note or rest to its full length and stop.
When you reach it, you have finished the piece.
Also called stave, five lines
Five horizontal lines and four spaces where notes are written. A note's height on the staff shows its pitch. Higher notes are placed higher. A clef at the start says which notes the lines stand for.
Number the lines from the bottom up: the bottom line is line 1.
Also called leger lines
Short extra lines drawn above or below the staff, through or beside a notehead. They extend the staff so that notes too high or too low for the five lines can still be written.
Count up or down from the staff one line or space at a time.
Also called accolade
A curly bracket at the left of two staves joined together, as in piano music. It tells you the two staves are played together by one player, usually with the treble staff above the bass staff.
Read both staves at the same time, from the same bar.
Words rather than signs? See the music terms glossary.