Chart
Music symbols and their meanings
Printable music symbols chart: clefs, notes, rests, accidentals, dynamics, ornaments, repeats, with US and UK names. Searchable. A4/Letter PDF.
Three pages: staff, clefs, notes, rests and accidentals; time signatures, dynamics, articulation and ornaments; repeats, tempo words and other signs.
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Quick answer
Music symbols are the signs of staff notation: clefs fix which line is which note, notes and rests show how long to play or wait, accidentals raise or lower a note, the time signature sets the beats per measure, and marks for dynamics, articulation, ornaments and repeats say how loudly, how shortly and in what order to play. Each symbol below is shown in the standard music font with its American and British name and what it means. Type in the search box to find one, or print the three pages.
No symbol matches. Try a shorter word, or the British name (crotchet, quaver, stave).
Music symbols and their meanings
Staff, clefs, notes, rests and accidentals · page 1 of 3 · musictheoryprint.com
Staff and clefs
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| StaffUK: Stave | Five lines and four spaces on which notes are written. The higher a note sits, the higher its pitch. | Staff paper | |
| Ledger lineUK: Leger line | A short extra line above or below the staff for notes too high or too low to fit on the five lines. | ||
| Treble clef (G clef) | Curls around the second line, which becomes G above middle C. For higher parts: violin, flute, right hand of the piano, soprano. | Treble clef notes | |
| Bass clef (F clef) | Its two dots surround the fourth line, which becomes the F below middle C. For lower parts: cello, bass, left hand of the piano. | Bass clef notes | |
| C clef (alto or tenor clef) | The centre of the clef is middle C. On the middle line it is the alto clef (used for viola); on the fourth line it is the tenor clef. | ||
| Treble clef with 8 belowUK: Octave treble clef | A treble clef that sounds an octave lower than written. Used for tenor voices and guitar music. | ||
| Brace | A curly bracket joining the staves played by one performer, such as the two staves of piano music (the grand staff). | ||
| Bracket | A square bracket joining the staves of instruments that play together, for example a string quartet, in a score. | ||
| Bar line (measure line)UK: Bar line | A vertical line that divides the staff into measures (bars). | ||
| Double bar line | Marks the end of a section, or a change of key signature, time signature or style. | ||
| Final bar line | A thin line and a thick line: the end of a piece or movement. |
Notes and rests
Each row shows the note and the rest of the same length. Beats are counted in quarter notes, as in 4/4.
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double whole note / restUK: Breve / breve rest | Twice as long as a whole note: 8 beats. Rare today. | Note values chart | |
| Whole note / restUK: Semibreve / semibreve rest | 4 beats. The whole rest hangs from the fourth line; it also marks a complete empty measure. | Note values chart | |
| Half note / restUK: Minim / minim rest | 2 beats. The half rest sits on the middle line. | Note values chart | |
| Quarter note / restUK: Crotchet / crotchet rest | 1 beat in 4/4. | Note values chart | |
| Eighth note / restUK: Quaver / quaver rest | Half a beat: two eighth notes fill one beat. | Note values chart | |
| Sixteenth note / restUK: Semiquaver / semiquaver rest | A quarter of a beat: four to a beat. | Note values chart | |
| Thirty-second note / restUK: Demisemiquaver / demisemiquaver rest | An eighth of a beat: eight to a beat. | Note values chart | |
| Sixty-fourth note / restUK: Hemidemisemiquaver / rest | A sixteenth of a beat. Rare. | Note values chart | |
| Dot (augmentation dot)UK: Dot | A dot after a note or rest adds half its value: a dotted half note lasts 3 beats in 4/4. | Note values chart | |
| Tie | A curve joining two notes of the same pitch into one note as long as both together. | Note values chart | |
| Triplet (tuplet) | Three notes played in the time of two of the same kind. Other tuplets work the same way (a 5 is five in the time of four). | Note values chart |
Accidentals
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharp | Raises the note by one semitone (half step). The effect lasts to the end of the measure. | Key signatures chart | |
| Flat | Lowers the note by one semitone (half step). | Key signatures chart | |
| Natural | Cancels an earlier sharp or flat, or the sharp or flat of the key signature, for that note. | Key signatures chart | |
| Double sharp | Raises the note by two semitones (a whole step). | ||
| Double flat | Lowers the note by two semitones (a whole step). |
Symbols are drawn with the Bravura music font (SIL Open Font License) using the code points of the SMuFL standard. musictheoryprint.com/charts/music-symbols
Music symbols and their meanings
Time signatures, dynamics, articulation and ornaments · page 2 of 3 · musictheoryprint.com
Time signatures
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time signature (4/4) | The top number is how many beats are in a measure; the bottom number says which note value is one beat (4 = quarter note). | Time signatures chart | |
| 3/4 time | Three quarter-note beats per measure, the pattern of a waltz. | Time signatures chart | |
| 6/8 time (compound) | Six eighth notes per measure felt as two beats, each a dotted quarter note divided into three. | Time signatures chart | |
| Common time (C) | Another way to write 4/4. | Time signatures chart | |
| Cut time (alla breve) | A C with a vertical line: 2/2, two half-note beats per measure. | Time signatures chart |
Dynamics
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pianississimo (ppp) | Extremely soft. | Dynamics markings | |
| Pianissimo (pp) | Very soft. | Dynamics markings | |
| Piano (p) | Soft. | Dynamics markings | |
| Mezzo piano (mp) | Moderately soft. | Dynamics markings | |
| Mezzo forte (mf) | Moderately loud. | Dynamics markings | |
| Forte (f) | Loud. | Dynamics markings | |
| Fortissimo (ff) | Very loud. | Dynamics markings | |
| Fortississimo (fff) | Extremely loud. | Dynamics markings | |
| Sforzando (sfz) | A sudden, strong accent on one note or chord. | Dynamics markings | |
| Forte-piano (fp) | Loud, then immediately soft. | Dynamics markings | |
| Crescendo (hairpin) | Gradually louder. The lines open to the right; the wider the opening, the louder it gets. | Dynamics markings | |
| Diminuendo or decrescendo (hairpin)UK: Diminuendo (hairpin) | Gradually softer. The lines close towards the right. | Dynamics markings |
Articulation
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Staccato | A dot above or below the notehead: play the note short and detached. | ||
| Staccatissimo | A small wedge: play the note very short and sharp. | ||
| Tenuto | A short horizontal line: hold the note for its full value, with a slight stress. | ||
| Accent | A horizontal wedge: play the note with more force than the notes around it. | ||
| Marcato | A pointed accent (^): play the note strongly and clearly marked. | ||
| Portato (tenuto-staccato) | A dot with a line: notes slightly separated and lightly stressed, not as short as staccato. | ||
| Slur | A curve over notes of different pitches: play them smoothly connected (legato). A tie joins notes of the same pitch. |
Ornaments
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trill | Alternate quickly between the written note and the note above it (the next note of the key) for the length of the note. | ||
| Turn | Play the note above, the written note, the note below, then the written note again. | ||
| Inverted turn | The turn upside down: the note below, the written note, the note above, then the written note. | ||
| Mordent (lower mordent) | Play the written note, the note below it, and the written note again, quickly. Baroque sources sometimes swap the names of the two mordents. | ||
| Inverted mordent (upper mordent) | Play the written note, the note above it, and the written note again, quickly. | ||
| Acciaccatura (slashed grace note) | A very short note with a slash through the stem, played as quickly as possible just before or on the beat. | ||
| Appoggiatura (grace note) | A small note without a slash that leans on the main note: it takes part of the main note's length from the beat. | ||
| Arpeggio (rolled chord) | A wavy vertical line beside a chord: play its notes one after another, lowest first, instead of together. |
Symbols are drawn with the Bravura music font (SIL Open Font License) using the code points of the SMuFL standard. musictheoryprint.com/charts/music-symbols
Music symbols and their meanings
Repeats, tempo, expression and other signs · page 3 of 3 · musictheoryprint.com
Repeats and navigation
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start repeat sign | Marks where a repeated section begins. Without it, go back to the beginning of the piece. | ||
| End repeat sign | Go back to the start repeat sign (or the beginning) and play the section again. | ||
| Repeat the last measureUK: Repeat the last bar | Play the previous measure again (also called simile). | ||
| First and second endingsUK: First and second time bars | Play ending 1 the first time, then repeat; the second time skip ending 1 and play ending 2. | ||
| Segno (sign) | A marker to jump back to: D.S. (dal segno) means go back to this sign. | ||
| Coda (tail) | The closing section. At "To Coda" jump to the coda sign and play to the end. | ||
| Da capo (D.C.) | Go back to the beginning. "D.C. al Fine" means repeat from the start and stop at Fine. | Italian music terms | |
| Dal segno (D.S.) | Go back to the segno sign. "D.S. al Coda" means repeat from the sign and jump to the coda at "To Coda". | Italian music terms | |
| Fine | "The end" (pronounced FEE-nay): where the piece finishes after a D.C. or D.S. | Italian music terms |
Tempo and expression markings
Words are mostly Italian. The Italian music terms list explains 216.
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metronome mark | The tempo in beats per minute: here 120 quarter-note beats every minute. | Italian music terms | |
| Adagio | Slow, at ease. | Italian music terms | |
| Andante | At a walking pace. | Italian music terms | |
| Allegro | Fast and lively. | Italian music terms | |
| Presto | Very fast. | Italian music terms | |
| Ritardando (rit.) or rallentando (rall.) | Gradually slow down. | Italian music terms | |
| Accelerando (accel.) | Gradually speed up. | Italian music terms | |
| A tempo | Return to the original speed after a change of tempo. | Italian music terms | |
| Rubato | Flexible tempo: time is taken in one place and given back in another. | Italian music terms | |
| Crescendo / diminuendo (cresc. / dim.) | The same as the hairpins, written as words: gradually louder / gradually softer. | Dynamics markings | |
| Legato | Smooth and connected, with no gaps between the notes. | Italian music terms | |
| Dolce | Sweetly and gently. | Italian music terms |
Other signs
| Symbol | Name (US / UK) | What it means | See also |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fermata (hold)UK: Pause (fermata) | Hold the note or rest longer than written. How much longer is up to the performer or conductor. | Italian music terms | |
| Breath mark | Take a breath here (singers and wind players), or leave a tiny gap in the sound. | ||
| Caesura | A break in the sound of no fixed length, after which the beat resumes. Often called "railroad tracks". | ||
| 8va (ottava alta) | Play an octave higher than written. A dashed line shows how far it applies. | ||
| 8vb (ottava bassa) | Play an octave lower than written, for as long as the dashed line lasts. | ||
| Pedal down / pedal up | Piano: press the sustain pedal at the pedal mark and release it at the star. | ||
| Down bow / up bow | Strings: the staple shape is a down bow (frog towards the tip); the V is an up bow (tip towards the frog). |
Symbols are drawn with the Bravura music font (SIL Open Font License) using the code points of the SMuFL standard. musictheoryprint.com/charts/music-symbols
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Quick guide to the groups#
Staff and clefs fix where each pitch sits. Notes and rests give the length of every sound and silence. Accidentals change a pitch by a semitone or a tone. Time signatures group the beats into measures. Dynamics and articulation say how loud and how connected or detached to play. Ornaments decorate a note. Repeats and navigation tell you which bars to play again and in what order. Tempo words and the rest are the signs a composer adds to describe the character.
Questions#
What is the difference between a tie and a slur?#
Both are curves. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer sound. A slur covers notes of different pitches and means play them smoothly, with no break between them (legato). The note values chart explains how a tie adds lengths together.
Why do some symbols have two names?#
Rhythm names differ between American and British English. A quarter note is a crotchet, a half note a minim, a whole note a semibreve and a double whole note a breve; a measure is a bar, a staff is a stave and a ledger line is a leger line. The notation is identical; the chart lists both names so you can search for either.
What do p, mp, mf and f stand for?#
They are abbreviations of Italian words: piano (soft), mezzo piano (moderately soft), mezzo forte (moderately loud) and forte (loud). Adding an -issimo ending, as in fortissimo (ff), means “very”. The dynamics page has the full range.
What does the dot after a note mean?#
A dot adds half of the note’s value. A dotted half note is a half note plus a quarter note, so it lasts three beats in 4/4. A dot above or below a notehead is a different sign, staccato, which means play the note short.
What is the difference between a sharp, a flat and a natural?#
A sharp raises a note by one semitone, a flat lowers it by one semitone, and a natural cancels an earlier sharp or flat (including one in the key signature) for the rest of the measure. Sharps and flats grouped at the start of a staff form the key signature, covered in the key signatures chart.
What is a segno, and what is a coda?#
The segno is a sign you jump back to when you reach “D.S.” (dal segno). The coda is a closing section; at “To Coda” you jump to the coda sign and play to the end.
How are the symbols on this page drawn?#
They are characters of the free Bravura music font, positioned by the code points of the Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL). That means they are real text in the page, which is why you can search them, and why they print sharply.
Sources: SMuFL specification (glyph names and code points), SMuFL glyphnames.json.