Introduction to Music Symbols (Grade 1, Level 1)

The music alphabet consists of the first 7 letters of the English language, ABCDEFG.

The music staff consists of 5 parallel lines. Notes are written on these lines and in the paces between them.

For this course, we shall be recognizing 5 different kinds of notes: whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, and sixteenth note.

The music rule says that the musician must keep the counting even if the notes are not played. In other words, counting must continue even in silence. This is where the music rests come in. Music rests are classified according to their beats or counts just like the notes.

Here’s the rule about the direction of the stem: If the note is written below the third line of the music staff, the stem must be written pointing upward.

If the note is written above the third line the stem must be written pointing downward.

If the note is on the third line, the stem can either go up or down. In other words, if you are the composer, it’s up to you where you want to direct the stem.

The Treble Clef symbol is placed at the beginning of each staff line of music for higher sounding notes.

The Bass Clef symbol is placed at the beginning of each staff line of music for lower sounding notes.

If we put the Treble Clef on the music staff, we call that staff, the Treble Staff.

If we put the Bass Clef on the music staff, we call that staff, the Bass Staff.

On the first line of the treble staff, is the note E, on the third line is the note B, on the fourth line is the note D, and on the fifth line is the note F. To easily remember these notes, use the acronym: Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit.

In the first space is the note F, in the second space is the note A, in the third space is the note C, and in the fourth space is the note E. To easily remember these notes, use the letters of the word FACE.

On the first line is the note G, on the second line is the note B, on the third line is the note D, on the fourth line is the note F, and on the fifth line is the note A. To easily remember these notes, use the acronym: Good Boys Deserve Fruit Always.

In the first space is the note A, in the second space is the note C, in the third space is the note E, and in the fourth space is the note G. To easily remember these notes, use the acronym All Cows Eat Grass.

When the treble staff and the bass staff are joined with a line and a bracket or brace, we call it the grand staff. All piano music notes and other musical symbols and signs are written on the grand staff.

We counted a total of 21 notes, but only 18 are written on the lines and in the spaces of the grand staff. We notice that there are three notes written outside of the five lines and four spaces of the grand staff. These notes are B, C, & D.

Some notes can be written on leger lines and leger spaces of the Grand Staff.

All we have to do is to remember the first 7 letters of the English language alphabet and learn how to master reading them forwards and backwards, and then match them with the reading of the notes from the bottom to the top of the staff and vice versa.

Bar lines are drawn across the music staff, in order to divide the piece of music into sections. We call these sections, bars or measures.

The 4/4 time signature indicates four beats in a measure or a bar and each beat is worth a quarter note or a crochet.

The whole note is called Semibreve, the half note is called Minim, the quarter note is called a Crochet, the eighth note is called a Quaver, and the sixteenth note is called a Semiquaver.

As we have learned from the previous sections, a Note Value refers to the duration of time a musical note is played or sung and is measured by beats or counts.

A Rest Value refers to the duration of time a musical rest is being counted in silence. Every musical rest has the same value as its note counterpart. Therefore, the counting is exactly the same.

The repeat sign tells the musician to play again a section of the piece of music from the beginning.

The top number 4 tells the musician that there can only be a maximum of 4 beats in one bar or measure. Again the bottom number 4 tells the musician that each beat has the time value of a quarter note.

Common time is exactly the same as 4/4 so all the rules in 4/4 time are also applicable in a Common Time signature.

The top number 2 tells the musician that there can only be a maximum of two beats or counts in one bar or measure. The bottom number 4 tells the musician that each beat or count has the time value of a quarter note.

The top number 3 tells the musician that there can only be a total of three beats or counts in one bar, and again the bottom number four tells the musician that each beat has the time value of a quarter note.

In music, a dot is very useful. Specifically, a dot added next to a note can increase the value of that note by half of its original value. So let’s take for example a half note. Originally, a half note has two beats. A dotted half note is now equivalent to a half note plus a quarter note, therefore it now has three beats.

In our example here, in 4/4 time, a half rest which has two beats of silence, can be used on either the first two beats or the last two beats, but not on the second and third beats. If you need to have some two beats of silence on the second and third beats, you need to use two quarter rests instead of one half rest.

A lead-in note is a part of the number of beats in the last bar of a piece of music. So when you add the number of beats of the lead-in notes and the number of beats in the last bar, they will add up to the exact number of beats as required by the time signature being used in that piece of music.

The music is first played using the first ending represented by this symbol; it is then repeated using the second ending represented by this symbol instead of the first. First and second endings may be used at the end of a piece, or at the end of a verse (in a song) or section.

In music, articulation means a way how a note or group of notes are played.

In music, legato is used to describe a manner of playing the notes in a smooth and connected way without any intervening gap or rest in between notes.

In music, staccato is a form of articulation which tells the musician to play a note short and separate from other notes in the music staff.

A Tie is a curved line used to join two or more notes of the same pitch. 

The term dynamics refers to the volume at which music is played. If all music was played at the same volume, it would certainly lack expression and becomes boring. It is necessary, therefore, for the musician to be able to play at a variety of dynamic levels ranging from very soft to very loud.

• pp = Pianissimo = very soft
• p = Piano = soft
• mp = Mezzo Piano = moderately soft

•  mf = Mezzo forte = moderately loud
  
•  f = forte = loud
  
•  ff = fortissimo = very loud
  

Accent marks are used to indicate notes which to be played louder than the other notes.

Gradual changes in volume are indicated by the Crescendo sign which means a gradual increase in volume, and the Diminuendo sign which means a gradual decrease in volume.

In music, the term Tempo, refers to the speed at which music is played.

BPM means Beats Per Minute.

A metronome is a device that produces an audible beat—a click or other sound—at regular intervals that the user can set in beats per minute (BPM). Musicians use the device to practice playing to a regular pulse.

• ritardando (rit.) = gradually slowing down
• ritenuto (riten.) = immediately slowing down
• accelerando (accel.) = gradually speeding up
• a tempo = return to the base tempo after the adjustment