I keep the wikipedia page bookmarked: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols It may not be compact enough to make a poster but this is extensive: https://www.dolmetsch.com/musicalsymbols.pdf There are so many symbols. It's going to be hard to put all of them on one sheet. Answer from lamalamapusspuss on reddit.com
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_musical_symbols
List of musical symbols - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - Musical symbols are marks and symbols in musical notation that indicate various aspects of how a piece of music is to be performed. There are symbols to communicate information about many musical elements, including pitch, duration, dynamics, or articulation of musical notes; tempo, metre, form (e.g., whether sections are repeated), and details about specific playing techniques (e.g., which fingers, keys, or pedals are to be used, whether a string instrument should be bowed or plucked, or whether the bow of a string instrument should move up or down).
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LANDR
blog.landr.com › home › 60 music symbols and their meanings explained
60 Music Symbols and Their Meanings Explained | LANDR Blog
July 16, 2025 - A down-bow symbol indicates that a string player must play the note using a downward bowing motion. Dynamics are notated in music with the letters p for piano, m for mezzo and f for forte. Piano means a quieter dynamic than mezzo piano and forte means to play with a louder dynamic that than mezzo forte.
Discussions

Are there any infographics describing the meaning of all music sheet symbols?
I keep the wikipedia page bookmarked: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols It may not be compact enough to make a poster but this is extensive: https://www.dolmetsch.com/musicalsymbols.pdf There are so many symbols. It's going to be hard to put all of them on one sheet. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/musictheory
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February 10, 2021
What does this music notation symbol mean pls? I can’t find the answer anywhere and therefore don’t know how to play this last chord as the notes in each hand overlap. Clair de Lune
It basically tells you this is not a professional edition. It's a curly bracket, it should span across both staves but someone missed it. It also seem you have boxes instead of pedal markings. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/piano
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January 26, 2023
Is there a complete guide to understand all the symbols in a sheet music?
I like the wikipedia list of musical symbols: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_symbols More on reddit.com
🌐 r/pianolearning
10
45
February 11, 2021
Confused about what notes actually mean!
The "increasing pitch" part is what makes them different notes. I'm not sure how else to answer this question than that. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/musictheory
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October 20, 2020
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Facebook
facebook.com › groups › 480749852301325 › posts › 2297030114006614
Music Education | Musical Symbols And Their Names | Facebook
Musical Symbols And Their Names. A Beginners Guide. (Please Note These 👇) #musictheory #musiceducation #music #symbol #staff #clef #Sharp #trebleclef #flats
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OnMusic Dictionary
dictionary.onmusic.org › music_symbols
OnMusic Dictionary - Music symbols
Lines Clefs Notes and Rests Breaks and Pause Accidentals Time signatures Note relationships Dynamics Articulations / Accents Ornaments Octave signs Repetition and codas Keyboard Notations
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Pianote
pianote.com › blog › music-symbols
Music Symbols and Meanings | Pianote
For example, if you see an F𝄪, it means you should play the note that is two half steps higher than F, which is the same pitch as G. The common time symbol represents a time signature of 4/4. This means there are four beats in each measure, and each beat is a quarter note in duration.
Published   July 2, 2024
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ConceptDraw
conceptdraw.com › How-To-Guide › musical-symbols
Musical Symbols
August 22, 2023 - Whole steps and half steps provide a variety of sounds in music. The sharp symbol indicates that the note is a semitone higher than the note head to its right, at the same time the flat symbol vice versa indicates a semitone lower.
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The Method Behind the Music
method-behind-the-music.com › theory › notation
Musical Notation - The Method Behind the Music
Accent - Means to hit the note harder and louder, emphasizing it. Marcato - A louder or more forceful version of the accent. Tenuto - Hold the note for its full value with no decay. Fermata - Hold the note longer, approximately twice as long, or until conducted to stop. Dynamics give direction for how loudly to play a section of music. This symbol is pianissimo, it means play very softly.
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Music Symbols
musicsymbols.me
✅Full Music Notation Symbols and Musical Meanings Explained
Common time is a widely used time signature represented by the symbol 𝄴, which is equivalent to 4/4. It indicates that there are four quarter-note beats per measure, with the quarter note receiving one beat. This time signature is called "common" because it's the most frequently used meter in Western music, appearing in everything from classical pieces to pop, rock, and jazz. Its steady, symmetrical feel makes it easy to follow and versatile across styles and tempos. ... Alla breve, also known as cut time, is a time signature represented by the symbol 𝄵 (a "C" with a vertical line) and is equivalent to 2/2. This means there are two half-note beats per measure, with the half note receiving one beat.
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Unison
unison.audio › music-note-symbol
11 Music Note Symbols You Need to Know - Unison
December 18, 2021 - Music note symbols are a universal way to communicate what a song is doing. The idea is that even though virtually all musicians will naturally play songs different from each other, the core of the song will remain the same due to musical notation.
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Hoffman Academy
hoffmanacademy.com › blog › music-note-symbols
Musical Notes Guide | Names, Symbols & Time Values
Learn how to read and interpret the musical notes on sheet music with our help. We even have a free, downloadable resource for you!
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Classical Guitar Shed
classicalguitarshed.com › guitar-specific-music-notation
9 Guitar-Specific Musical Notation Symbols Explained
Small numbers on the staff show which left-hand fingers we should use for a particular note. They are numbered from left to right as you look at your palm. So 1 is the index finger, and 4 is the little finger.
Published   August 21, 2025
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Musicnotes
musicnotes.com › blog › how-to-read-sheet-music
How to Read Sheet Music: A Step-by-Step Guide – Musicnotes
May 22, 2025 - Look at the C major scale again on the keyboard below. Semitones, or half-steps on the keyboard, allow us to write an infinite variety of sounds into music. A sharp, denoted by the ♯ symbol, means that note is a semitone ...
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Sharpschool
cdnsm5-ss2.sharpschool.com › UserFiles › Servers › Server_5626897 › File › Richfield school district › Band › Musical Terminology and Symbols.pdf pdf
Musical Terminology and Symbols
FERMATA: An indefinitely-sustained note, chord, or rest. Usually appears over · all parts at the same metrical location in a piece, to show a halt in tempo. It can be placed ... CAESURA: Indicates a brief, silent pause, during which time is not counted. In · ensemble playing, time resumes when the conductor or leader indicates. ... The aspect of musical expression resulting from variation in the volume of sound. It is the loudness and softness of the music being performed.
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Study.com
study.com › art › performing arts
Music Notation | History & Symbols - Lesson | Study.com
December 16, 2019 - For example, the symbols indicate the pitch and rhythm of the notes. The modern musical staff is always made up of five lines and four spaces. A "clef" is a symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to determine the pitch. The treble clef for higher pitches and the base clef for lower pitches are probably the most familiar.
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Music Gateway
musicgateway.com › blog › music-theory › 60-music-symbols-and-their-meanings-explained-actually-bloody-comprehensible-version
60 Music Symbols and Their Meanings Explained
April 30, 2025 - A demisharp symbol instructs the player to play a note one quarter-tone higher than its natural state. Again, this is primarily used by composers who delight in making life difficult for their musicians. A double flat symbol means “play this note two semitones lower than its natural state.” It’s symbolized by two flat symbols huddled together for warmth.
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Musicca
musicca.com › notes
Notes in music | Musicca
Each octave, starting from the note C, has a number. The octave of the lowest C on the piano has number 1, while the octave of the highest C has number 8. All notes from C up to the next octave have the same number (e.g., C1, D1, E1, F1, G1, ...
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Producer Hive
producerhive.com › home › music theory › music symbols & their meanings (the ultimate idiot’s guide)
Music Symbols & Their Meanings (The Ultimate Idiot's Guide)
September 22, 2023 - Lines make up the grid on which musical notes are written. Horizontal lines act as the rungs on and around which to place notes, which indicate different pitches depending on their position.
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Piano Sight Reading
pianosightreading.com.au › home › blog › sight-reading basics › musical symbols & terms you should know when sight-reading
Musical Symbols & Terms You Should Know When Sight-Reading - Piano Sight Reading
March 10, 2023 - Love to learn piano and the symbols. Great to see your detailed information for easier to learn. Please email me for more detailed learning and also some web sites for video learning. Thank You ... It usually represents a note with no pitch, just a percussive sound. This note is known as a “dead” or “ghost” note. A trill is usually notated with “tr.” or a wavy line above the note. ... Do you mean ...
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Dolmetsch
dolmetsch.com › musicalsymbols.htm
Dolmetsch Online - Chart of Musical Symbols
We have included symbols that might be found on a musical score, including a number that are not strictly musical (i.e.