Musical symbols are marks and symbols used since about the 13th century in musical notation of musical scores. Some are used to notate pitch, tempo, metre, duration, and articulation of a note or a passage of music. In some cases, symbols provide information about the form of a piece or about how to play the note. Some symbols are instrument-specific notation giving the performer information about which finger, hand or foot to use.
Lines
Clefs
Clefs define the pitch range, or tessitura, of the staff on which it is placed. A clef is usually the leftmost symbol on a staff. Additional clefs may appear in the middle of a staff to indicate a change in register for instruments with a wide range. In early music, clefs could be placed on any of several lines on a staff.
modify the pitch of the notes that follow them on the same staff position within a measure, unless cancelled by an additional accidental.
Key signatures
s define the prevailing key of the music that follows, thus avoiding the use of accidentals for many notes. If no key signature appears, the key is assumed to be C major/A minor, but can also signify a neutral key, employing individual accidentals as required for each note. The key signature examples shown here are described as they would appear on a treble staff.
Quarter tones
There is no universally accepted notation for microtonal music, with varying systems being used depending on the situation. A common notation for quarter tones involves writing the fraction next to an arrow pointing up or down. Below are other forms of notation: A symbol with one vertical and three diagonal bars indicates a sharp with some form of alternate tuning. In 19 equal temperament, where a whole tone is divided into three steps instead of two, music is typically notated in a way that flats and sharps are not usually enharmonic ; this has the advantage of not requiring any nonstandard notation.
s define the meter of the music. Music is "marked off" in uniform sections called bars or measures, and time signatures establish the number of beats in each. This does not necessarily indicate which beats to emphasize, however, so a time signature that conveys information about the way the piece actually sounds is thus chosen. Time signatures tend to suggest prevailing groupings of beats or pulses.
Note relationships
Dynamics
Dynamics are indicators of the relative intensity or volume of a musical line. Other commonly used dynamics build upon these values. For example, "pianississimo" means "so softly as to be almost inaudible", and "fortississimo" means "extremely loud". Dynamics are relative, and the meaning of each level is at the discretion of the performer or, in the case of ensembles, the conductor. However, modern legislation to curb high noise levels in the workplace in an effort to prevent damage to musicians' hearing has posed a challenge to the interpretation of very loud dynamics in some large orchestral works, as noise levels within the orchestra itself can easily exceed safe levels when all instruments are playing at full volume. A small in front of the dynamic notations means subito, and means that the dynamic is to change to the new notation rapidly. Subito is commonly used with sforzandos, but can appear with all other dynamic notations, most commonly as or . Another value that rarely appears is niente or, which means "nothing". This may be used at the end of a diminuendo to indicate "fade out to nothing".
Articulation marks
specify how to perform individual notes within a phrase or passage. They can be fine-tuned by combining more than one such symbol over or under a note. They may also appear in conjunction with phrasing marks listed above.
Ornaments
Ornaments modify the pitch pattern of individual notes.
Octave signs
8va and 15ma are sometimes abbreviated further to 8 and 15. When they appear below the staff, the wordbassa is sometimes added.
Repetition and codas
Instrument-specific notation
Bowed string instruments
Guitar
The guitar has a fingerpickingnotation system derived from the names of the fingers in Spanish or Latin. They are written above, below, or beside the note to which they are attached. They read as follows:
Symbol
Spanish
Italian
Latin
English
French
p
pulgar
pollice
pollex
thumb
pouce
i
índice
indice
index
index
index
m
medio
medio
media
middle
majeur ou médius
a
anular
anulare
anularis
ring
annulaire
c, x, e, q
meñique
mignolo
minimus
little
auriculaire
Piano
Pedal marks
Pedal marks appear in music for instruments with sustain pedals, such as the piano, vibraphone and chimes.
Other piano notation
Old tutors published in the UK may use "English fingering". + for thumb, then 1, 2, 3 and 4.
