Name Note Rest Beat/S: Triplet Notes

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NAME NOTE REST BEAT/S

Whole Note /
4 beats
Whole Rest

Dotted Half Note /


3 beats
Dotted Half Rest

Half Note/
2 beats
Half Rest

Dotted Quarter Note /


1 ½ beats
Dotter Quarter Rest

Quarter Note /
1 beat
Quarter Rest

Dotted Eighth Note /


3/4 beat
Dotted Eighth Rest

Eighth Note /
1/2 beat
Eighth Rest

Dotted Sixteenth Note /


3/8 beat
Dotted Sixteenth Rest

Sixteenth Note / = 1/4 beat


Sixteenth Rest

Thirty Second Note /


1/8 beat
Thirty Second Rest

A quick refresher on dots – the dot is adding half of the note’s value to itself.
Triplet Notes
• a dotted half note gets 3 beats (2 + 1)
• a dotted quarter note gets 1 and a half beats (1 + 1/2)
• a dotted eighth note gets 3/4 of a beat (1/2 + 1/4)
• a dotted sixteenth note gets 3/8 of a beat (1/4 + 1/8)
Musical Signs and Symbols

Time Signature
The time signature of a piece of music
indicates how many beats are in each bar.
A time signature allows a musician to
count a steady beat while playing a piece.

Metronome Mark
A composer may include a metronome
mark to indicate the tempo - how fast or
slow the music should be played.

Key Signatures
The key signature tells you which notes
should be played as sharps or flats
throughout a piece of music and therefore
what key the piece should be played in.

Accidentals
When a composer wants to include a one-
off sharp or flat, or cancel one that is in
the key signature, they use accidentals.

Accidentals only apply to one bar of the


music, not the whole piece.
Repeat signs
A repeat sign indicates where you should
repeat what you have just played.

It can indicate to play from either the


beginning of the piece of music or from
the previous repeat sign.

Pause
A pause sign tells you to hold the note or
rest for slightly longer than its written
value.

Listen to the two examples below to hear


how the same notes sound without and
with a pause.
Accent
An accent tells you to play each note with
a little extra force.

Listen to the two examples below to hear


how the same notes sound when played
without and with accents.

Staccato
A dot above or below a note tells you to
play it short and detached.

This should not be confused with a dot


after a note which alters its value. Short,
detached, jumpy notes are called staccato.

Legato
A curved line above or below a group of
notes tells you those notes should be
played legato – smoothly, with no gaps
between the notes.

A slur is a legato line over a few notes


which means they should not be
rearticulated. For example, all the notes
are played with one bow movement on a
string instrument or played without
tonguing each note on a wind instrument.
Tie
Not to be confused with a legato slur, a tie
joins together two of the same notes.

It tells you to hold the note once and hold


it for the value of both, rather than playing
the note twice.

Crescendo
A crescendo tells you that your playing
needs to get gradually louder over the
duration of the symbol.

Diminuendo
A diminuendo means that you’re playing
needs to get gradually quieter over the
duration of the symbol.

Trill
A trill is rapidly moving between the
written note and the one above.

Grace note
A grace note is played really quickly
before the main note.

Dynamics
Ornaments
Dynamics tell you how loud or quiet you
Ornaments are extra notes which decorate the
should play.
music.
Most dynamics are covered in the terms
You will learn about some ornaments, such as
section but there are also two symbols you
trill and grace notes, in your Understanding
need to know that indicate crescendo and
music work.
diminuendo.
tempo - this shows how fast the music notation - this shows the pitch and duration of
should be played the notes
Tempo
In music, speed is referred to as tempo. A tempo marking is usually given at the beginning of a
piece.

You only need to remember the four tempos below for your exam:
• Adagio - slow
• Andante - a walking pace
• Moderato - moderately
• Allegro - quick and lively

Change of tempo
Sometimes a piece of music changes tempo. The following words can be used to describe tempo
changes:
• Accelerando - getting faster
• Rallentando - slowing down, normally for emphasis
• Ritardando - slowing down, holding back
• A tempo - return to the original tempo after speeding up or slowing down

Dynamics
Dynamics describe how loud or soft the music is. Dynamics terms, like tempo terms, are often in
Italian:
Pitch
Pitch is how high or low a note is and what it is called – for example: C, F sharp, B flat. You
need to know the notes of the treble clef:

Rhythm
Rhythm is how we describe the
duration, or length, of a note or rest,
eg how many beats it is worth.
TERM MEANING SYMBOL

A symbol used in musical


Accelerando notation indicating to
gradually quicken tempo.

Is an emphasis placed on a
particular note, either as a
Accent result of its context or
specifically indicated by an
accent mark.

A tempo having slow


Adagio
movement; restful at ease.

A direction to play lively


Allegro
and fast.

A gradual increase,
especially in the volume or
Crescendo
intensity of sound in a
passage.

D.S. al fine is an indication


to start back at the segno,
and continue playing until
D.C al fine
you reach the final barline,
or a double-barline marked
with the word fine.
A gradual decrease in
Diminuendo loudness or the musical
direction indicating this

To hold a tone or rest held


beyond the written value at
Fermata
the discretion of the
performer.

Marks the end of a


composition or movement,
Fine usually following a repeat
command such as D.C. al
fine or D.S. al fine.

Is used in directions to
performers. It appears in
the superlative form
fortissimo, very loud. The
Forte
letter f is an abbreviation of
forte, ff an abbreviation of
fortissimo, with fff or more
rarely ffff even louder.

In a very loud manner.


Fortissimo
Used chiefly as a direction.

Is used as a frequent
Largo
instruction to performers.

In a smooth, even style


Legato without any noticeable
break between the notes.
Half loud, represented by
Meno
the letters mf.

Mezzo-piano, half soft,


Mezzo piano represented by the letters
mp.

Is often found in directions


to performers, as in allegro
Molto molto or allegro di molto,
molto vivace or molto
piano.

Pianissimo In a very soft or quiet tone.

Is generally represented by
Piano the letter p in directions to
performers.

Is found in directions to
Piu performers, as in più forte,
louder, or più lento, slower.

Abbreviated often to rit., is


Ritardando often used as a direction to
players.

Marked by or composed of
Staccato abrupt, disconnected parts
or sounds

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