Basic Sheet Music Terms

Quarter Note

1 beat long note.

Quarter Rest

1 beat long rest.

Eighth Note

1/2 beat long note.

Eighth Rest

1/2 beat long rest.

Sixteenth Note

1/4 beat long note.

Sixteenth Rest

1/4 beat long rest.

Half Note

2 beats long note.

Half Rest

2 beats long rest.

Whole Note

4 beats long note.

Whole Rest

4 beats long rest.

Bass Clef (or F Clef)

A clef that indicates that the fourth line from the bottom of the staff is where the note "F" is found. For the left hand.

Treble Clef (or G Clef)

A clef that wraps around the second line from the bottom of the staff, showing that this line is where the note "G" is found. For the right hand.

Phrase

A complete musical thought or a musical sentence.

Tie

A curved line over or under two notes of the same pitch that tells the performer that the two notes are joined together and played as one note .

Slur

A curved line over or under two or more notes of different pitch that tells the performer to play the notes smoothly and connected.

Flag

A curved line that is attached to the other end of the stem.

Dotted Note Rule

A dot after a note adds one-half of the original note length value to the note. Dotted half note = 3 beats Dotted quarter note = 1 1/2 beats Dotted whole note = 6 beats

Stacatto Mark

A dot over or under a note (not beside it) that tells the performer to play the note shorter and to make it separated and detached from the note after it.

Double Bar Lines

A double bar line marks the end of a song or piece of music, telling the performer to stop.

Legato Mark

A line over or under a note that tells the performer to play the note long and hold it out for its full value to make it connected to the note after it.

Rhythm

A pattern of long and short notes and rests.

Staff (or Stave)

A set of 5 lines and 4 spaces that music notes and symbols are written or printed on.

Beam

A straightened flag that connects two or more note stems. Happens when the same note is repeated.

Rest

A symbol that indicates a period of silence for a certain length of time.

Note

A symbol that indicates a specific time duration (length) of a single musical sound and also determines pitch.

Fermata (Hold/Bird's Eye)

A symbol that looks like a half circle with a dot inside it that, when placed over a note (or sometimes under a note), tells the performer to hold that note out a little longer.

The Musical Alphabet

A, B, C, D, E, F, G. No "H."

Steady Beat

An unchanging, continuous pulse.

Natural Sign

Cancels a previous sharp or flat sign.

Key Signature

Flat signs or sharp signs without notes next to them that appear near the beginning of the staff. They alter all of the notes on the indicated lines and spaces for the entire staff, unless cancelled out by accidentals.

Crescendo

Gradually getting louder as the two lines get further apart.

Decrescendo

Gradually getting softer as the two lines get closer together.

First and Second Endings

Indicate that a repeated passage of music is to be played with a different ending

Grand Pause (or Cesura/Railroad Tracks)

Indicates a brief, silent pause, during which time is not counted and the steady beat is briefly interrupted.

Forte

Loud

Flat Sign

Lowers the pitch of the note that follows it one half-step lower.

Mezzo Forte

Medium loud

Mezzo Piano

Medium soft

A.C.E.G.

Notes on the Spaces of the bass clef

G.B.D.F.A.

Notes on the lines of the bass clef.

E.G.B.D.F.

Notes on the lines of the treble clef.

F.A.C.E.

Notes on the spaces of the treble clef.

Sharp Sign

Raises the pitch of the note that follows it one half-step higher.

Accent Mark

Shaped like a sideways "V", this symbol tells the performer to play the note louder than all of the other notes around it so that it stands out.

Bar Line

Short vertical lines that divide a staff into measures.

Piano

Soft

Clefs

Symbols that determine which note letter names belong to the lines and spaces of a staff

Dynamics Marks

Symbols that indicate what the loudness or softness of the music should be.

Accidentals

Symbols that make a slight change to the pitch of the notes that follow them on the same line or space within a measure, unless cancelled by another accidental. Accidentals include symbols such as the sharp sign, flat sign, and natural sign.

Time Signature (or Meter Signature)

Tells how the beats in music are divided into measures. A measure contains a certain number of beats. The top number tells the number of beats in a measure; the bottom number tells what kind of note gets one beat.

Multi-measure Rest

Tells the performer how many measures to rest without a change in the meter or time signature.

Measure

The Space between bar lines.

Pitch

The highness (higher in the staff) or lowness (lower in the staff) of a note or sound.

Head

The round part of the note.

Tempo

The speed of a piece of music.

Stem

The straight line part of a note that is connected to the note head.

Repeat Sign

They tell the performer to play the music between the two repeat signs over again. If there is no left repeat sign, the right repeat sign tells the performer to go back to the very beginning of the piece of music.

Breath Mark

This "break" does not change the tempo or meter and it also does not interrupt the steady beat.

Triplets

Three notes of the same kind with a 3 over or under them. The three notes are played in the same amount of time that it normally takes to play two of these notes.

The Hand Staff (or The Guidonian Hand)

Use your hand to practice saying and remembering the letter names of the lines and spaces of the staffs. The five fingers on that hand represent the five lines of a staff. The gaps between the fingers represent the four spaces of the staff.

Fortissimo

Very loud

Pianissimo

Very soft