50 Essential Music Symbols Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes

Estimated reading time 4 minutes

Introduction

Do you get confused when you look at sheet music? Do you want to know what the music symbols mean? The visual-score-guides paired with quick explanations will help you understand the music notation. Keep reading 50 Essential Music Symbols Explained in Less Than 5 Minutes to find the symbols listed by notation category.

This post uses musical terms. For words not specifically defined in the body of the article, see the Glossary at the end of the post.

Essential Music Symbols: The Staff

Mobile users: for best results reading the examples, rotate your screen 90^o to the right.

Staff: A graph-like notation that tracks pitch (notes) on the vertical axis and time (rhythm) on the horizontal axis.

Essential Music Symbols: Rhythm

Here are the essential rhythmic music symbols:

2/4 time signature: Indicates two beats per measure, and the quarter note gets one beat.
3/4 time signature: Three beats per measure, and the quarter note gets one beat.
4/4 time signature: Four beats per measure, and the quarter note gets one beat.
Bar line: Divides the rhythm into equal numbers of beats.
Dotted half note: Hold for three beats.
Double bar line: Indicates that it’s the end of the song.
Half note: Hold the note for two beats.
Half rest: Be silent for two beats.
Measure: The distance between two bar lines.
Quarter note: This note gets one beat.
Quarter rest: Be silent for one beat.
Whole note: Hold for four beats.
Whole rest: Be silent for a whole measure.

If you struggle with reading rhythm, try color coding the counting numbers:

Essential Music Symbols: Notes

The following are the essential note-oriented music symbols:

Alto clef: Indicates where the C line is (A.K.A. the C clef).
Bass clef: Plays the low notes (A.K.A. the F clef).
C clef: Plays the middle range notes (A.K.A. the alto clef).
F clef: Indicates where the F line is (A.K.A. the bass clef).
G clef: Indicates where the G line is (A.K.A. the treble clef).
Treble clef: Plays the high notes (A.K.A. the G clef).

Brace: Helps join the treble and bass staffs into the grand staff.
Grand staff: Used for keyboard instruments to extend the range into an eleven-line staff encompassing 21 notes.
Middle C: This C sits in the middle of the grand staff, connecting the two staffs together.

Clef mnemonics: Memorable phrases used to help you remember the notes on the staff, divided into line note mnemonics and space note mnemonics.
Line note: A note that has a line running through it.
Note: A sheet music representation of a musical pitch.
Notes on the staff: The notes are named for the first seven letters of the alphabet. They progress up the staff in alphabetical order, alternating between line and space notes.
Space note: A note that sits between lines.

If you struggle with reading notes, try color coding the score:

Ledger Lines: Small lines that extend the range of the staff up or down.

For more note reading tricks:

Flat: Lowers a note. One key to the left on the keyboard.
Key signature: Indicates that sharps and flats last for the whole song.
Natural: Cancels out a sharp/flat. It’s always a white key.
Sharp: Raises a note. One key to the right on the keyboard.

For more information on accidentals:

Essential Music Symbols: Repeats, Articulations, and Word-Based Musical Notation

Here are the essential repetition music symbols:

D.C. al Fine: Go back to the beginning and play until you reach the word “Fine” (FEE-nay).
First and second endings: Play the notes in the first ending only once. After repeating, skip the first ending and play the notes in the second ending
Measure number: In many scores, they’ll have the measure numbers appear at the beginning of the lines.
Repeat signs: Repeat any music within the forward and backward repeat signs.

For information on color coding repeat signs:

Repeats

Next, you have some essential word-based music symbols:

Adagio: Play slowly (example tempo mark)
Expression mark: Indicates the feel of the music.
Forte: Play loudly (example dynamic sign)
Misterioso: Play mysteriously (example expression mark)
Piano: Play softly (example dynamic sign)
Tempo mark: The words at the beginning of the score that indicate how fast to play.

Here are the essential articulation music symbols:

Accent: Indicates to play a little louder on the note or chord. (example articulation)
Legato: Play smoothly (example articulation)
Staccato: Release the note quickly – “bounce.” (example articulation)

For more information on articulations:

Essential Music Symbols: Guitar Tab

Here are some essential guitar tab music symbols:

Fret numbers: Indicates the number of a fret, with the number zero representing an open string.
Tab lines: Represents the six strings on the guitar.

Guitar left hand finger numbers:

Index = #1 finger
Middle = #2 finger
Ring = #3 finger
Pinky = #4 finger

For more information on guitar tab:

Essential Music Symbols: Shape Note Sight Singing

Lastly, you have some essential shape note music symbols:

Note shapes: Each solfege syllable gets its own distinctive notehead shape.
Solfege syllables: The notes within the scale are labeled – Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do.

For more information on sight singing:

Video: 50 Music Symbols Explained

Final Thoughts

Takeaway points:

These 50 essential music symbols are only just the beginning.
There are many more symbols to learn, including tons of music terminology and instrument-oriented music symbols.
However, the explanations presented here will give you a good start.

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