Types Of Music Symbols

Modern types of music symbols are the symbols and marks used in the music notation of western musical instruments, styles, and scores. These symbols are used to describe tempo, rhythm, and pitch. Below are the different types of music symbols.

Music-staff

These are the basic latticework of music notation where symbols are placed. There are four intervening spaces and five stave lines of these types of music symbols which match the diatonic scale.

Music-ledger

These types of music symbols are used to increase the staff to pitch that fall below or above it. They are usually kept behind the note heads, as small distance is increased to each side. Several lines of ledger can be utilized where it is needed to notate pitches far below or above the staff.

Music-bar

Music bars are used to divide measures. They are most commonly utilized to connect the lower and upper staffs of the grand staff.

Music-doublebar

They are used to separate two music sections and are equally used as major changes in tempo or style. Music doublebars are also utilized in time signature and key signature.

Music-endbar

They are used to show that a composition or a movement is complete.

Accolade

These types of music symbols are used to connect two or more music lines that are played at the same time. The accolade and brace will vary in styles and designs depending on the type of instrument used.

Clefs

Clefs are used to amplify the tessitura or pitch range of the staff it is placed upon. They are always at the left side of all types of music symbols. However, some extra clefs might be placed at the middle of the staff to indicate an alteration in the register. They include

Music-GClef.svg

Music-Fclef.svg

Music-neutralclef.svg

Music-unpitchedclef.svg

Neutral clef

Octaveclef.svg

Notes and rests

These types of music symbols do not really have a clear definition, but are very important like all other types of music symbols. They include:

Music-octwholenote.png

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Music-doublewholenote.png

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Semibreve / Whole note

Music-wholerest.png

Music-halfnote.png

Minim / Half note

Music-halfrest.png

Music-quarternote.png

Crotchet / Quarter note

Music-quarterrest.png

Music-eighthnote.png

Quaver / Eighth note

Music-eighthrest.png

Music-sixteenthnote.png

Semiquaver / Sixteenth note

Music-sixteenthrest.png

Music-thirtysecondnote.png

Demisemiquaver / Thirty-second note

Music-thirtysecondrest.png

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Accidentals

They improve the pitch notes that come after them on the staff. They include, Music-flat (which reduces the note pitches by a semitone), Music-sharp (which increases the pitch by a semitone), music-natural (which terminates the previous accidental symbol), music-doubleflat (which reduces the pitch tone by 2 semitones), and music-doublesharp ( which increases the pitch tone by 2 semitones).

Time signatures

These types of music symbols measure the tone of the music in uniform sections known as measures or bars. They establish or ascertain the amount of beats in each of the tones, but do not show the beats that are emphasized. They include: music-timesig, Compound duple drum pattern, music-commontime, music-cuttime, and music-metronome.

Other types of music symbols include note relationships (music tie, music-slur, music-legato, music-glissando), music dynamics, articulation marks (music-staccato, music-staccatissimo, music-marcato, music-tenuto, music-strong-marcato, music-pizzicato), and ornaments, and octave signs.