Understanding Music Notation

# Play the note 1/2 step up (Sharp)

Play the note 1/2 step down (Flat)

Play the note normally: pay no attention to the key

signature.

The above three symbols can also appear at the beginning of each line of
music affecting the whole line. Moreover, if they are included in an
individual measure, they override each other and carry through ties or
slurs.

Compressed rests. The number on top

specifies how many measures of rest.

Fermata. Hold the note until cut off.

Repeat. Play through normally until second

symbol, then go back to first symbol and play
again, this time ignoring the second symbol.

Begin and end: marks the beginning and ending

of a piece.

Tie. Make each note flow into the next. (Do

not break them up.)
Common time, same as 4/4 time.
 Cut time, same as 4/4 but everything is cut in
half.
Example: a half note = 1 quarter note, a whole
note = 1 half note.

f Loud

ff Loud loud

fff As loud as possible

p Quiet

mp Medium quiet

mf Medium loud

pp Quiet quiet

cresc. Louder

Clefs

Treble clef (or G-clef)

 Bass clef (or F-clef)

Natural signs cancel a

flat or a sharp.

The top number normally determines how

many beats are in a measure or bar (a
measure is defined by vertical lines, or
bar lines, that run perpendicular to the
staff). For instance, if the time signature
is 3/4, there are three beats in a
A bar line or measure line
measure.

The bottom number in the time signature normally

determines what kind of note gets one beat. This number is
commonly 4, which means that a quarter note gets one beat.
It may also be 2, which means that a half note gets one beat,
or 8, which means that eighth notes are used to determine
the length of the measure. The bottom number can be 1, 2, 4,
8, 16, etc.

3/4 is 3-quarter notes per measure.

5/2 is 5 half notes per measure.
6/8 is 6 eighth notes per measure.

A whole note or semibreve appears as a ‘circle’ on

the staff in a measure and is worth 4 beats in
common time. A whole note is the base unit to which
all the other notes are related.

Whole rests look like dark rectangles hanging down

off the second line from the top of the staff and
are worth the same duration as whole notes.
However, there are some occasions where a whole
rest can indicate an entire measure, even when a
whole note does not. For example, in 3/4 time, a
whole note simply cannot be used, as it is too long
for a measure; however, a whole rest is sometimes
still used to indicate silence for the entire measure.

Half notes (minim) are worth 1/2 the duration

of whole notes. They appear as an empty circle
with a straight line (known as the staff)
dropping down off the left side or going up off
the right side. In 4/4 time, a half note receives
two beats.
 Half rests look like dark rectangles
sitting on top of the third line from
the top of the staff and are worth
the same duration as half notes.

Quarter notes or crotchet are worth 1/4

the duration of whole notes. They look
like solid circles with a straight line
coming off them (as in the half notes).
In 4/4 time, quarter notes are worth 1
beat.

Quarter rests are identified by a unique

symbol. They are worth the same amount as
quarter notes. Sometimes they are
represented by a symbol that is the mirror
image of an eighth rest.

Eighth notes or quaver are worth 1/8 the

duration of whole notes. In 4/4 time, they are
worth half a beat, so two eighth notes equal 1
beat, the equivalent of a quarter note. A single
eighth note looks like the quarter note, but has a
single ‘tail’ (known as a flag) that curves back
along the staff towards the solid circle.
 Two or more eighth notes together are
connected by a single horizontal bar at
the bottom or top (instead of having
flags). This bar is known as a beam.

Eighth rests look a little like a number 7 .

They are worth the same duration as an
eighth note. The one shown here is a
sixteenth rest, having two flags on the top.

Sixteenth notes or semiquaver are worth 1/16

the duration of whole notes. In 4/4 time, they
are worth a quarter of a beat (four of them
together make a single beat). A single sixteenth
note looks like the eighth note, but with two
flags instead of one.

When they are connected, it is

with two beams, not one.

A dot next to the note or rest means that it

should be lengthened by half of the note's
normal duration. A dot next to a half note
means that the note should be held for the
duration of 3/2 of a half note. In common
time, it would be three beats.
 Frequently you will see two or more notes
‘stacked’ on top of each other on the
staff. This is a chord, and indicates that
all the notes should be played at the same
time.

If there is an arc connecting one note's

circle to another note's circle, this is a tie, a
slur, or a phrase mark. A tie occurs between
two notes of the same pitch, and means that
the notes are connected and should be held
for the total duration of the tied notes. A
slur occurs between two different notes, and
means that the notes should be voiced or
articulated as little as possible. In the case
of vocal music, it means that the pitch will
change while still singing the same syllable. A
phrase mark generally is used over a series
of notes, and means that you should play
them continuously without a break in the
musical thought.

If you see notes with dots over or under

them (not next to them), play or sing
them in a shortened fashion, leaving
some silence between the notes so that
they are detached from one another.
This is referred to as staccato.