Home | Vocal Music | Piano Music | Music Theory | General Music | About
Kaii Lee had combined several piano/keyboard method books and her life long music learning books to create this sequential music theory study for this website. This page is about all kinds of the Musical Signs. As a separate language, Western music has certain rules that from all composers to all performers that everyone agrees to follow for the sake of musical communication. This page will cover a lot of the musical signs, but may not cover all the musical signs. From time to time, a new sign may be added in the future. The Musical Signs are divided into the following categories: Notation, Time Signatures, Clefs, Articulation, and Dynamics. By clicking on the other colored links at the bottom of this page, the other music theory topics can be found easily.
For more information, please contact Kaii directly: info@kafm.net
Notation | Time Signatures | Clefs | Articulation | Dynamics | Octave | Repeat Signs | Tempo | Chords
The Musical Signs on this page are symbols that represent a part of the language of music. The most basic signs are music notations that include all different types of sounds and silence for different durations. Here is a simple chart that covers the most frequently used music notes and rests. With quarter note as one beat, all the notes and rests are related to the quarter note in the mathematical way. The Whole Rest is unique and stands alone from all other music notes and rests. A Whole Rest represents the whole measure is silent without any other signs, no matter the Time Signature. ALL other notes and rests have to abide the rules that the Time Signature set at the beginning.
The Most Frequently used Musical Notes and Rests in Western Music |
|---|
 |
There many more different kinds of notes and rests. Some of them are listed on the following chart. Using quarter note as a standard one beat, the following notes and rests have the duration accordingly.
More Musical Notes and Rests used in Western Music |
|---|
 |
Any dotted note or rest, with the dot on the right side of the note or rest, is one and one-half time longer than that note or rest without the dot. That dot is 50% of the value of the previous item. For example, a dotted quarter note is one and one-half of a beat in duration. And a Double Dotted Quarter Note is one and three-quarters of a beat. Because the second dot is 50% of the value of the first dot.
Dotted and Double Dotted Notes and Rests used in Western Music |
|---|
 |
However, if the Time Signature is recognizing a different type of note as a basic beat in the measure, such as an eighth note, then all the math in the counting will need to be changed to follow the rule that the Time Signature has created. More on Time Signatures later. See the following charts for Half Note as the standard beat, then an Eight Note as the standard beat in each measure.
When the standard beat is modified that Half Note is One Beat |
|---|
 |
When the standard beat is modified that Eighth Note is One Beat |
|---|
 |
The Compound Meters could make music more interesting and give composers more ways to create new musical ideas. Therefore, performers would need to learn another set of notation values to understand how to perform the Compound Meter music better. See the next section regarding Time Signatures as Musical Signs.
When it comes to Time Signatures, each unit has two numbers. The top number means how many notes are there in a measure. The bottom number represents the type of music note that is designated to be one beat. The most frequently used note as one beat is the Quarter Note. But it is not absolute. Therefore, a quarter note is not always one beat. In the following chart, pm = per measure.
Types of Simple Meters in Time Signatures
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
1 Whole Note pm
1 Half Note pm
1 Quarter Note pm
1 Eighth Note pm
1 Sixteenth Note pm
2 Whole Notes pm
2 Half Notes pm
2 Quarter Notes pm
2 Eighth Notes pm
2 Sixteenth Notes pm
3 Whole Notes pm
3 Half Notes pm
3 Quarter Notes pm
3 Eighth Notes pm
3 Sixteenth Notes pm
4 Whole Notes pm
4 Half Notes pm
4 Quarter Notes pm
4 Eighth Notes pm
4 Sixteenth Notes pm
Each specific standard note in this category is one beat or count in each measure
8 Half Notes pm
8 Quarter Notes pm
8 Eighth Notes pm
8 Sixteenth Notes pm
Types of Common Compound Meters in Time Signatures
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
6 Half Notes pm
6 Quarter Notes pm
6 Eighth Notes pm
6 Sixteenth Notes pm
9 Half Notes pm
9 Quarter Notes pm
9 Eighth Notes pm
9 Sixteenth Notes pm
The specific standard note in this category can be grouped in threes to simplified the overall counting
12 Quarter Notes pm
12 Eighth Notes pm
12 Sixteenth Notes pm
Types of Uncommon Meters in Time Signatures
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
Sign
Meaning
5 Half Notes pm
5 Quarter Notes pm
5 Eighth Notes pm
5 Sixteenth Notes pm
7 Half Notes pm
7 Quarter Notes pm
7 Eighth Notes pm
7 Sixteenth Notes pm
The specific standard note in this category can be grouped as 2+3 or 3+2 in groups of 5, as 2+2+3, 2+3+2, 3+2+2 in groups of 7, as 4+4+2, 4+2+4, 2+4+4, 1+3+3+3, 3+3+3+1 and more in groups of 10, and finally, as 5+6, 6+5 with subdivisions in groups of 11. Wow!
10 Quarter Notes pm
10 Eighth Notes pm
10 Sixteenth Notes pm
11 Quarter Notes pm
11 Eighth Notes pm
11 Sixteenth Notes pm
Different clefs show different registers of sounds and pitches. There are ten clefs being used in different types of music. But the Treble and Bass clefs are the most popular clefs, while the alto clef comes in third. Using a piano keyboard for demonstration the ranges below, we can see how many tones or pitches the treble and bass clefs can cover.
The different types of Clefs
Another Look at the different clefs with a Middle C next to them
Treble Clef Instruments Bass Clef Instruments Alto Clef Instruments Tenor Clef Instruments Both Treble and Bass Clef Instruments Flute, Piccolo, Clarinet, Oboe, English Horn, Recorders, Bagpipes, Trumpet, Cornet, French Horn, Saxophones, Violin, Mandolin, Guitar, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, and Xylophone Bassoon, Contrabassoon, Trombone, Tuba, Cello, String Bass, and Timpani Viola, Viola d'amore, Viola da gamba, and Mandola High notes for Viola da gamba, Bassoon, Cello, Euphonium, and Trombone Piano, Harp, Clavichord, Harpsichord, Organ, Marimba *** Some choral scores still use the Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass clefs for those individual parts. All the other types of clefs are less commonly used now. With the exception of the drum staff, that doesn't indicate pitches. see the following graph.
Drum Set Staff
A sample of Drum Set playing pattern
Articulation is a big part of the artistic communication of the music making.
Types of Articulation Markings
The volume of music is registered with different Dynamic Signs. The signs range from very, very, very soft to very, very, very loud, and everything in between.
Types of Dynamic Signs
The Octave Signs help music to be written in certain ways and save parts of the score space. Without the octave signs, there will be too many Ledger Lines to read.
Octave Signs
With the 8va (octave) sign above notes, those notes need to be performed one octave higher, and 8vb (octave) sign below the notes, those notes need to be performed on octave lower.
Many choral music has Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bass individual parts written on separate staff lines. The Tenor Clef, instead of the former Tenor Clef that described above, is currently written as a Treble Clef with a number 8 right below it to show that is one octave lower than the regular Treble Clef. It is a new way of writing a specific Octave Sign. See the sample on the right.
The Repeat Signs are necessary tools to same composers many hours of laboring work.
Types of Repeat Signs
1. The Repeat Signs have a right and a left side. If only a right side is present, the whole phrase /piece must be repeated again.
2. The Sign (dal segno)
3. First and Second Endings
4. Back to the "Top" then to "The End"
5. The Top (da capo)
6. Back to the "Sign" then to "The End"
How to follow the Repeat Sign and the Endings
How to follow the Dal Segno Sign to Coda (Added Ending)
More Repeat Signs
To save time, and maybe ink, composers wrote one thick slash to represent a repeated beat. The music must be identical in rhythm and tonality.
To repeat an identical measure or measures, the sign of {a dot-a thick slash-a dot} within a measure means to repeat the whole measure.
For a two-measure pattern to be repeated, a sign of {a dot-two thick slashes-a dot} between two measures and on a bar line means to repeat two measures as indicated.
The Tempo Marks are usually stated at the beginning of the composition to show the speed of the music. They range from very, very slow to very, very fast.
Types of Tempo Marks (BPM = Beats per minute)
The following chords from different keys are displayed in Root Position only.
Basic Chords in Root Position
The next topic in this Music Theory site is all about "Musical Terms." Thank you for reading!
Music Theory that every musician could use and should know The Basics
Math in Music
More Math and Signs
Music Forms
Time Signatures Intervals Modulations Homophonic Style Polyphonic Style Diatonic & Chromatic Steps Transposition Contrapuntal Techniques Key Signatures Triads & Inversions Binary Form Primary Triads Augmented Sixth Chords Ternary Form Secondary Triads Traditional Compositional Tools Dance Suites Scales Seventh Chords Contemporary Compositional Tools Prelude & Fugue Secondary Dominant Musical Signs Sonata Form Cadences Rondo Form Modes Chord Progressions Musical Terms Theme & Variations Figured Bass & Basso Continuo Serialism For more information, please contact Ms. Lee at: info@kafm.net
Home | Vocal Music | Piano Music | Music Theory | General Music | About
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2024 Kaii & Friends Music.net