Music symbols and their meanings
Find musical notation symbols, understand what they mean, and see how they are used in sheet music. 80 symbols, each drawn in real notation — search by name, by what it means, or browse the pictures if you don’t know what it is called.
Find a symbol
- Staff
- Ledger lines
- Grand staff
- Treble clef
- Bass clef
- Alto clef
- Tenor clef
- Percussion clef
- Ottava (8va)
- Ottava bassa (8vb)
- Whole note
- Half note
- Quarter note
- Eighth note
- Sixteenth note
- Whole rest
- Half rest
- Quarter rest
- Eighth rest
- Sixteenth rest
- Dotted note
- Tie
- Triplet
- Sharp
- Flat
- Natural
- Double sharp
- Double flat
- Key signature
- Time signature
- 4/4 time
- 3/4 time
- 6/8 time
- Common time
- Cut time
- Bar line
- Double bar line
- Final bar line
- Repeat sign
- First and second endings
- Da capo (D.C.)
- Dal segno (D.S.)
- Segno
- Coda
- Pianissimo (pp)
- Piano (p)
- Mezzo-piano (mp)
- Mezzo-forte (mf)
- Forte (f)
- Fortissimo (ff)
- Crescendo
- Decrescendo (diminuendo)
- Sforzando (sfz)
- Fortepiano (fp)
- Staccato
- Staccatissimo
- Tenuto
- Accent
- Marcato
- Slur
- Fermata
- Breath mark and caesura
- Sustain pedal
- Metronome mark
- Largo
- Adagio
- Andante
- Moderato
- Allegro
- Presto
- Ritardando (rit.)
- Accelerando (accel.)
- A tempo
- Trill
- Mordent
- Turn
- Acciaccatura
- Appoggiatura
- Glissando
- Arpeggiated chord
Browse by category
Staff and clefs
Where notes are written, and what fixes their pitch.
Staff · Ledger lines · Grand staff · Treble clef …
All 10 staff and clefs symbolsNotes and rests
How long each sound or silence lasts.
Whole note · Half note · Quarter note · Eighth note …
All 13 notes and rests symbolsAccidentals
Signs that raise or lower a note.
Sharp · Flat · Natural · Double sharp …
All 6 accidentals symbolsTime signatures
How beats are grouped into bars.
Time signature · 4/4 time · 3/4 time · 6/8 time …
All 6 time signatures symbolsRepeats and navigation
Bar lines, repeats, D.C., D.S. and coda.
Bar line · Double bar line · Final bar line · Repeat sign …
All 9 repeats and navigation symbolsDynamics
How loud or soft to play.
Pianissimo (pp) · Piano (p) · Mezzo-piano (mp) · Mezzo-forte (mf) …
All 10 dynamics symbolsArticulation
How each note is started, held and connected.
Staccato · Staccatissimo · Tenuto · Accent …
All 9 articulation symbolsTempo
How fast to play, and how the speed changes.
Metronome mark · Largo · Adagio · Andante …
All 10 tempo symbolsOrnaments
Decorations added to a written note.
Trill · Mordent · Turn · Acciaccatura …
All 7 ornaments symbols
Every symbol, A to Z
3
- 3/4 time · Time signatures
4
- 4/4 time · Time signatures
6
- 6/8 time · Time signatures
A
- A tempo · Tempo
- Accelerando (accel.) · Tempo
- Accent · Articulation
- Acciaccatura · Ornaments
- Adagio · Tempo
- Allegro · Tempo
- Alto clef · Staff and clefs
- Andante · Tempo
- Appoggiatura · Ornaments
- Arpeggiated chord · Ornaments
B
- Bar line · Repeats and navigation
- Bass clef · Staff and clefs
- Breath mark and caesura · Articulation
C
- Coda · Repeats and navigation
- Common time · Time signatures
- Crescendo · Dynamics
- Cut time · Time signatures
D
- Da capo (D.C.) · Repeats and navigation
- Dal segno (D.S.) · Repeats and navigation
- Decrescendo (diminuendo) · Dynamics
- Dotted note · Notes and rests
- Double bar line · Repeats and navigation
- Double flat · Accidentals
- Double sharp · Accidentals
E
- Eighth note · Notes and rests
- Eighth rest · Notes and rests
F
- Fermata · Articulation
- Final bar line · Repeats and navigation
- First and second endings · Repeats and navigation
- Flat · Accidentals
- Forte (f) · Dynamics
- Fortepiano (fp) · Dynamics
- Fortissimo (ff) · Dynamics
G
- Glissando · Ornaments
- Grand staff · Staff and clefs
K
- Key signature · Accidentals
L
- Largo · Tempo
- Ledger lines · Staff and clefs
M
- Marcato · Articulation
- Metronome mark · Tempo
- Mezzo-forte (mf) · Dynamics
- Mezzo-piano (mp) · Dynamics
- Moderato · Tempo
- Mordent · Ornaments
N
- Natural · Accidentals
O
- Ottava (8va) · Staff and clefs
- Ottava bassa (8vb) · Staff and clefs
P
- Percussion clef · Staff and clefs
- Pianissimo (pp) · Dynamics
- Piano (p) · Dynamics
- Presto · Tempo
Q
- Quarter note · Notes and rests
- Quarter rest · Notes and rests
R
- Repeat sign · Repeats and navigation
- Ritardando (rit.) · Tempo
S
- Segno · Repeats and navigation
- Sforzando (sfz) · Dynamics
- Sharp · Accidentals
- Sixteenth note · Notes and rests
- Sixteenth rest · Notes and rests
- Slur · Articulation
- Staccatissimo · Articulation
- Staccato · Articulation
- Staff · Staff and clefs
- Sustain pedal · Articulation
T
- Tenor clef · Staff and clefs
- Tenuto · Articulation
- Tie · Notes and rests
- Time signature · Time signatures
- Treble clef · Staff and clefs
- Trill · Ornaments
- Triplet · Notes and rests
- Turn · Ornaments
W
- Whole note · Notes and rests
- Whole rest · Notes and rests
Read music from the beginning
- How to read sheet musicThe staff, clefs, notes, time and key signatures, and the symbols that tell you how to play — in the order to learn them.
- The staffLines, spaces and clefs: where every note is written.
- Note values and restsHow long each note and rest lasts, and how to count it.
- Sharps, flats and naturalsSharps, flats and naturals, and how long they last.