The image below also has Guitar Tablature which has 6 lines that represent the six guitar strings (low E at the bottom).Ģ. Standard notation refers to the use of staff for music notation. The staff is the graphic of 5 lines and 4 spaces on which notes are placed for communication of a musical composition. Staff (stave): This is the foundational element of music notation. These are the structure or backbone for which all other symbols are added.ġ. The following music symbols are general symbols for an entire song or composition. Make sure to read my Guitar Notation article to see all the ways you can notate music for the guitar.

Hopefully, you have your own songbooks to see examples and understand how they are used and why. I would give examples from my songbooks for some of the symbols listed, but it would be too extensive to notate the actual measures and notes involved.

For the rest of us, like myself, awareness of music concepts leads to creativity and some nice chops. If you are a natural and you have the “feel”, then you don’t need to know anything in this article or any music theory for that matter. As a guitar player, you may think this is academic stuff not worth your time, but being aware of these concepts & techniques can only make you a better player. There are a lot of different music symbols and abbreviations that communicate how to play a song or composition. I cover 70+ music symbols and their meanings grouped by category: general, directions, time & rhythm, dynamics, and guitar chords and techniques, and ornamentation. Understanding music symbols enables you to read all forms of music notation, but more importantly, makes you aware of concepts to incorporate into your playing and songwriting.

What is the flat symbol in music