List of musical symbols

This list is intended to provide an overview of the symbols used today in music .

Grading system

	Grading system Basic system, consisting of five staff lines, in which the grades are entered.

	Auxiliary lines Short additional lines that are used when a note lies outside the staff lines.

	Barline The barline separates two consecutive bars .

	Double bar The double bar separates two consecutive sections of a piece.


	Closing line The closing line marks the end of the piece.

	Dashed Barline The dashed barline is used to divide long measures into logical sections.

key

	Treble clef (G clef) The center of the spiral marks the line to which the note G above middle C is assigned. Usually this is the second line from the bottom. In this case, the middle C is on the first auxiliary line below the system.
	Alto clef (viola or C clef) The center of the clef marks the line to which the middle C is assigned. With the old key, this is the middle line. This key is used for the viola .
	Bass clef (F clef) The point at the end of the loop marks the line to which the note F below middle C is assigned. In the bass clef, this is the fourth line from the bottom. In this case, the middle C comes to lie on the first auxiliary line above the system.
	Neutral keys Neutral keys are used for instruments without a defined pitch ( percussion ), where every line and every space is assigned to an instrument. If only one part is to be notated, often only a single line is used on which the notes are then written.
	Octaving Keys An 8 written below or above the clef indicates an octave in the respective direction. Sometimes there is a 15 instead of the 8 (less often a 16), which indicates the offset by two octaves.
	Tablature This notation is often used on plucked instruments, where the staves stand for the individual strings and numbers on the lines indicate at which fret the string is to be picked.
	Curly bracket (accolade) Connects two or more voices that are played at the same time (e.g. right and left hands on the piano, orchestra, etc.)

Notes and rests

		Double note / rest
		Whole note / rest
		Half note / rest
		Quarter note / quarter rest
		Eighth note / eighth rest
		Sixteenth note / sixteenth rest
		Thirty-second note / thirty-second rest
		Sixty-fourth note / sixty-fourth rest
		Hundred and twenty-eighth note / hundred twenty-eighth rest
		Two hundred fifty-sixth note / two hundred fifty-sixth rest
		Pause over several bars If you pause in several consecutive bars, this can be indicated by a thick horizontal line above which the number of bars is noted.
		Dotted note A point placed to the right of the note extends it by half its value. A dotted quarter note, for example, has a duration of three eighth notes. If there are two points next to a grade, it is extended by three quarters (i.e. by half and an additional quarter) of its value, three points extend by 7/8 (half and a quarter and an eighth of the grade value), four Points - rarely used - around 15/16 accordingly. Breaks can be punctured in the same way.
		Bar black bar between the note stems from eighth notes or notes of lower value are used equivalent to the flags. This type of summary serves to visually organize the grades. Bars are rarely used in modern notation instead of flags on individual notes.
		Ghost Notes A note with a rhythmic value, but no discernible pitch. Mainly found on rhythm instruments (drums, percussion).

Accidentals

	Cross (heightening sign ) Increases the note by one chromatic semitone . One key is moved to the right on the keyboard. C becomes C sharp, D → Dis, E → E-is, F → F sharp, G → G sharp, A → A-is, H → His.
	B (lowering sign ) Decreases the note by one chromatic semitone. One key on the keyboard is moved to the left. C becomes Ces, D → Des, E → Es, F → Fes, G → Ges, A → As, H → B.
	Double cross (double increase) Raises the note by two chromatic semitones. Move two keys to the right on the keyboard. "-Isis" is appended to the note name. Instead of the key C you would have to hit D; but specifically “Cisis”.
	Double-b (double lowering) Decreases the note by two chromatic semitones. Move two keys to the left on the keyboard. "-Eses" is appended to the note name.
	Natural sign Triggers for this clock the previous pre- and accidentals on.

sign

Each key has a certain number of accidentals . They are placed behind the key and apply to all tones of the existing system of lines (as long as no other prefixes or accidental signs are noted).

	Incremental sign (here on the example of C sharp major and A sharp minor) These so-called crosses are notated in the fifths spacing upwards (F sharp – C sharp – G sharp etc.), ie according to the order in which they appear in the clockwise direction of the circle of fifths .
	Decrement sign (here at Ex. C flat major and A flat minor) These so-called. B's are listed in the fifth apart down (B-Es-As, etc.), ie after the order of appearance against clockwise circle of fifths.

Time signature

The time signature indicates how many note values are combined in a measure .

	Specific time signature The lower number indicates the value of the basic beat as the corresponding note value, the upper number the number of basic beats . In the example opposite, each measure takes up notes and / or rests with a total value of three quarter notes.
	Special time rule This alternative special time rule represents the ⁴ ⁄ _{4 time} signature.
	Alla breve This special time signature represents the² ⁄ _{2 time} signature.

Tempo indications

The following rules are used to provide general information on the tempo and changes in tempo in pieces. Their meaning is partly different in different historical periods:

accelerando	to get faster
adagio	slowly
allegro	blithely
allegretto	lively
andante	going
andantino	emotional
a tempo	back to the original pace
calando	Slow down
calmo	calm
largo	wide
lento	slowly
morendo	dying
presto	hurried
rallentando	get slower
ritardando	get slower
ritenuto	Slow down the pace
rubato	free change of pace
tempo giusto	Normal pace
vivo	fast
	Metronome indication For the precise indication of the speed of pieces, there is also the possibility of setting the metronome beat number (written at the beginning of the piece). The number determines the number of notes (here: quarter notes) per minute.

dynamics

Further information on the design of pieces of music, in particular the intensity and volume:

	pianopianissimo , also pianissimo possible extremely quiet
	pianissimo very quietly
	piano softly
	mezzopiano semi-silent
	mezzo forte in a low voice
	forte loud
	fortissimo very loud
	fortefortissimo extremely loud
	sforzando / sforzato accentuates loud note or chord
	fortepiano quick change from loud to quiet
	crescendo get louder
	decrescendo ("diminuendo") become quieter

Expression

to grieve	lively
appassionato	passionate
brio	Momentum
buffo	funny
con anima, animato	animated, animated, lively
concitato	excited
con forza	with power
con moto	with movement
dolente	plaintively
doloroso	painful
energico	powerful
espressivo	expressive
funebre	Sad
grazioso	graceful
leggiero	light
lugubre	gloomy
maestoso	sublime
mosso	emotional
pesante	heavy
risoluto	determined
scherzando	joking
sereno	bright
serioso	seriously
soave	gently
sostenuto	carried
tenerezza	tender
tranquillo	calm
vigoroso	powerful

articulation

	arpeggio This symbol indicates that the notes of the following chord are not played simultaneously but in quick succession. A small arrow at the end of the wavy line can be used to indicate whether the arpeggio is to be played from below (standard case) or from above.
	Staccato Brief “repelling” of the notes. Sounds are already silenced during the noted duration (usually halfway). The rest of the duration is silent. In the past, the staccato point was combined with a legato bow to represent a portato .
	Staccatissimo Sharp repelling of the notes. See staccato only shorter ring duration. Under certain circumstances, this can also mean the shortest possible sound duration, since -issimo actually means as ... as possible .
	Accent These tones are dynamically emphasized in relation to unmarked notation , i.e. hi d. Usually performed louder or more intensely or both. Occasionally the symbol is also used like a sforzato , so it is intended to envelop the note in the symbolized small crescendo fork (which declines towards the end of the notated duration).
	Portato or Tenuto means 'held', but does not mean legato (flowing bound), but that the intensity should be kept static for the duration noted . The portato stroke can therefore also be combined with a staccato dot ( staccato-tenuto ) and then means an abrupt break in volume before the noted duration , or short, but static ringing times.
	Fermata Extension of the tone or the pause beyond the noted duration. In addition to this meaning for the articulation, the fermata is also used to mark an end ( fine ), for example in canons or in pieces with repetition from the beginning.
	Legato slur Shows a binding of the notes, the legato, is then also known as a slur . The sheet can also display musical phrases, then called a phrasing sheet , or a melisma for vocal music and is then a text sheet.
	Tie Indicates a continuous tone that is represented by several equally high notes (e.g. across bar boundaries).

Octaving

Oktava

An 8va symbol (= ottava alta) placed above the passage to be played shows the player that it should be played an octave higher .

An 8va symbol placed below the passage to be played, or alternatively an 8vb (= ottava bassa) in modern music, shows the player that this should be played an octave lower .

Quindicesima

A 15ma symbol (= quindicesima alta) placed above the passage to be played shows the player that this should be played two octaves higher .

A 15ma symbol placed below the passage to be played, or alternatively a 15mb (= quindicesima bassa) in modern music, shows the player that this should be played two octaves lower .

Musical sequence

	Repeat signs It has the form of a closing stroke with two points on the side, a repetition of one or more in the direction of clocks is required. No repeat sign is noted at the beginning of a piece of music; the repetition therefore takes place from the beginning if the left (opening) repeat character is missing.
	Notation of the process with volute brackets Volten brackets (also: brackets, house) are used when one or more bars at the end of the repetition part are to be skipped after repetition or replaced by a different bar. This results in a clear sequence for the following notation.
	Da capo (“From the head”) instruction to repeat the piece of music from the beginning. Often followed by the Italian instruction al fine (“to the end”, “to the end”), whereby the end is marked by the word fine (in baroque music also by a fermata ), or by al coda (“to the coda “), Which means to jump to the coda symbol and play the end of the piece of music from there.
	Dal Segno ("From the sign") Instructionto repeatthe piece of music from the point indicated by the Segno . Like Da capo , it can be combinedwith the instructions al fine or al coda .
	Segno jump label for the instruction dal segno .
	Head or crosshead Marks the beginning of the final part of a piece of music, the coda , to which the instructions DS al coda (Dal segno al coda) or DC al coda (Da capo al coda) jump. The notation with two heads is also common, with the repetition jumping directly to the second when reaching the first head, usually in connection with the instruction DC al ? - ? or DS al ? - ?.

Abbreviations

	Simile ("similar"), also "lazy" Describes that the preceding group of notes or the preceding measure must be repeated identically. If the character is written between two bar lines, it means the repetition of a whole bar, if it is written above a bar line, it means the repetition of a group of two bars.
	Tremolo The written note denotes the total duration of the tone repetitions, the number of lines above the subdivision z. B. as an eighth, sixteenth or thirty-second. If different pitches are notated, the tremolo should alternate quickly between them.

Playing instructions for certain instruments

Plucked instruments

In the notation of the striking hand, for example, the names of the fingers in Spanish or Latin are used when playing the guitar.

symbol	Spanish	Latin	German
p	pulgar	pollex	thumb
i	índice	index	index finger
m	medio	media	Middle finger
a	annular	annularis	Ring finger
c, x, e, q	meñique	minimus	Pinkie finger

Keyboard instruments

1	thumb
2	index finger
3	Middle finger
4th	Ring finger
5	Pinkie finger

	left hand	right hand
German	lH (left hand)	rH (right hand)
English	lh (left hand)	rh (right hand)
French	mg (main gauche)	md (main droite)
Italian	ms (mano sinistra)	md (mano destra)

Pedal Use

The use of the forte pedal on musical instruments such as the piano or the vibraphone is indicated by various symbols.

	Depressing the pedal Instruction for the player to depress the forte pedal .

	Let go of the pedal Instructions for the player to release the forte pedal .

	Continuous use of the pedals More detailed illustration of the use of the forte pedal . The lower line indicates the period of time in which the pedal is held down. The upside-down "V" (∧) indicates that the pedal is briefly raised and then immediately pressed down again.

String instruments

With string instruments, counting starts from the index finger, as the thumb is usually not used.

0	Open string (no finger used)
1	index finger
2	Middle finger
3	Ring finger
4th	Pinkie finger