For instructional purposes only • 1st Semester SY 2024-2025 1

Lesson 1.1: Musical Symbols

Lesson Summary

Musical symbols are essential notations used in music to represent sound. They include
the staff, clefs, notes, rests, accidentals, time signatures, dynamics symbols. Together, these
symbols enable musicians to accurately read, interpret, and express music, facilitating a deeper
understanding and appreciation of musical compositions.

Learning Outcomes

a. Identify and interpret key musical symbols, including notes, rests, clefs, accidentals,
dynamics, and time signatures.

Discussion
Marks and symbols used since about 13th century in the musical notation of musical
scores. Some are used to notate pitch, tempo, meter, duration and articulation of a note or a
passage of music. It provides information about the form of a piece.

Lines
Musical lines are the building blocks of a song, guiding and expressing the music's message.
They are like the blueprint that organizes and shapes the musical experience.

a. Staff
It consists of five horizontal lines on which
musical notes lie. The lines and the spaces between
the lines represent different pitches.

Fig 2 .

b. Ledger Lines
These extend the staff to pitches that fall above or below
it. Such ledger lines are placed behind the note heads, and
extend a small distance to each side. Multiple ledger lines
can be used when necessary to notate pitches even
farther above or below the staff.

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c. Bar Line
A bar line is a vertical line drawn across the staff in musical
notation that divides the music into measures (also called bars).

d. Double Bar Lines

A double bar line consists of two vertical lines drawn across the
staff. It is used in musical notation to indicate the end of a section or
passage within a piece.

e. End Bar
The end bar line, also known as the final bar line, is used in
musical notation to show the conclusion of a piece of music. It
consists of a thin line followed by a thick line and is placed at the
very end of the score to indicate that the composition has ended.

f. Repeat Bar
A repeat bar line is a symbol in musical notation that indicates
that a section of music should be repeated. It consists of a pair of
vertical lines with two dots, with the placement of the dots marking
the beginning or end of the repeated section.

Clefs
A clef is a musical symbol placed at the beginning of a staff that indicates the pitch of the
notes written on that staff.

a. G Clef
It is the most common clef in music. The symbol used for the
treble clef looks like the letter "G" with the bottom part encircling
the second line of the staff. This indicates that the note on the
second line is a G. That's why the treble clef is also known as G-clef.

b. F Clef
The symbol used for the bass clef is like a stylized apostrophe
with two dots to the right of it. Between the dots is the fourth line of the
staff indicating the placement of the note F below middle C. This is why,
the bass clef is also known as F clef.

Notes
In music, notes are symbols used to represent specific pitches and durations of sound.

a. Whole Note

b. Half Note

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c. Quarter Note

d. Eighth Note

e. Sixteenth Note

Rests
These are symbols in music notation that indicate periods of silence.

a. Whole Rest

b. Half Rest

c. Quarter Rest

d. Eighth Rest

e. Sixteenth Rest

Dotted Notes
A dotted note is a note with a small dot placed to the right of it. The dot increases the note's
duration by half of its original value.

a. Dotted Whole Note

b. Dotted Half Note

c. Dotted Quarter Note

d. Dotted Eighth Note

e. Sixteenth Rest

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Dotted Rests
A dotted rest increases the duration of the rest by half of its original value.

a. Dotted Whole Rest

b. Dotted Half Rest

c. Dotted Quarter Rest

d. Dotted Eighth Rest

e. Dotted Eighth Rest

Accidentals

These are musical symbols used to alter the pitch of a note from its natural state. They are
essential for adding expressive nuances to music and can modify how a note is played within a
composition.

a. Sharp
A sharp accidental is a musical symbol that raises the pitch of a note
by a half step (semitone). It is represented by the symbol (♯) and is typically
placed before the note it modifies on the staff.

b. Flat
A flat accidental is a musical symbol that lowers the pitch of a note by
a half step (semitone). It is represented by the symbol (♭) and is placed
before the note it modifies on the staff.

c. Naturals
A natural accidental is a musical symbol that cancels the effect of a
sharp (♯) or flat (♭) applied to a note, returning it to its original pitch. It is
represented by the symbol (♮) and is placed before the note on the staff.

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Key Signature
A key signature is a set of sharp (♯) or flat (♭) symbols placed at the beginning of a staff in
musical notation. It indicates the key of a piece of music, determining which notes are to be
played as sharp or flat throughout the composition.

a. Sharp Key Signature

A sharp key signature is a set of sharp (♯) symbols placed at the
beginning of a staff, indicating which notes should be raised by a half step
throughout a piece of music. The number of sharps in the key signature
determines the key of the piece, with each additional sharp corresponding
to a specific key.

b. Flat Key Signature

A flat key signature is a set of flat (♭) symbols placed at the beginning
of a staff, indicating which notes should be lowered by a half step
throughout a piece of music. The number of flats in the key signature
determines the key of the piece, with each additional flat corresponding to
a specific key

Time Signature
A time signature is a musical notation that indicates the number of beats in a measure and
the note value that represents one beat.

a. 2 The 2/4 time signature is a musical notation that indicates there are
4 two beats in each measure, with the quarter note receiving one beat.

The 3/4 time signature is a musical notation that indicates there are
b. 3
three beats in each measure, with the quarter note receiving one
4
beat.

c. 4 The 4/4 time signature, often referred to as "common time," is a

4 musical notation that indicates there are four beats in each measure,
with the quarter note receiving one beat.

d. 6 The 6/8 time signature is a musical notation that indicates there are
8 six beats in each measure, with the eighth note receiving one beat.

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Note Relationship

a. Tie
In music, a tie is a curved line connecting two notes of the same pitch,
indicating that they should be played as a single sustained note.

b. Slur
In music, a slur is a curved line connecting two or more notes of
different pitches, indicating that they should be played smoothly and legato,
without any perceptible breaks between them. Slurs are essential for
conveying phrasing and expression in music.

Dynamics

a. Pianississimo

b. Pianissimo

c. Piano

d. Mezzo Piano

e. Mezzo Forte

f. Forte

g. Fortessimo

h. Fortessissimo

i. Crescendo

j. Decrescendo

References.
https://dictionary.onmusic.org/music_symbols
https://www.pianosightreading.com.au/musical-symbols-and-terms/
https://www.pianote.com/blog/music-symbols/
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/music-101-what-is-musical-notation-learn-about-the-
different-types-of-musical-notes-and-time-signatures

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Mission: Development of a highly competitive human resource, cutting-edge scientific knowledge
and innovative technologies for sustainable communities and environment.