#MUSIC NOTES SYMBOLS HOW TO#

The top number of a time signature refers to how many beats will go into a measure while the bottom number refers to the note value (for example, 4 for quarter notes, 8 for eight notes). See the note tie example below.Ī time signature tells you how long each measure lasts in a piece of music. This means you don’t play the note twice but continue playing a note for the combined duration where you see a connecting line. This is because the symbol wraps around the line for a G note as you’ll see in the following image:Īnother symbol used to extend the length of notes, especially between measures is to use note tie symbols. The most commonly used clef is called the treble clef, also known as the G clef. This means that a note in the same location of the staff will have a different note name depending on the clef symbol used. You can think of the clef symbol as a grid that defines the notes in the staff lines. The following sections will go into more detail for these components used in sheet music.

Time signature: This symbol is used to determine the beats and length of a measure that repeats throughout a piece of music. The clef in the image above is called a treble clef (more on this in the next section). The note names change depending on the clef stated.

#MUSIC NOTES SYMBOLS HOW TO#

We’ll look at how to read all the notes on the staff later on.Ĭlef: This symbol is used to determine the note names on the staff lines. The notes are written on the lines or in the spaces between the lines. Staff: the staff is the set of 5 lines that are used to write notes.

Music notes symbols