Arts
What are musical notes?
Quick answer
Musical notes are written symbols that show which sound to play and for how long. Their position on a five-line staff gives the pitch, and their shape gives the length.
In one sentence
A musical note tells a player how high or low to play a sound and how long to hold it.
Explained
Written music is read from left to right, like words. Notes sit on a staff, a set of five horizontal lines. A clef at the start tells you which notes the lines stand for. The treble clef (the curly sign) is used for higher notes, such as for the violin or the right hand on a piano.
piano
trumpet
drum
Pitch (how high or low) depends on where the note sits. The higher on the staff, the higher the sound. Notes are named with the first seven letters of the alphabet, A B C D E F G, and then the pattern repeats. The notes on the lines of the treble clef, from the bottom, are E G B D F ("Every Good Boy Does Fine"). The notes in the spaces spell F A C E. A white key on a piano is one of these seven notes. A C major scale goes C D E F G A B C. In sol-fa, that is do re mi fa sol la ti do.
Length depends on the shape of the note. The common note values are:
| Note (UK name) | US name | Beats |
|---|---|---|
| Semibreve | whole note | 4 |
| Minim | half note | 2 |
| Crotchet | quarter note | 1 |
| Quaver | eighth note | 1/2 |
A rest is a symbol for a silence of the same lengths. A time signature such as 4/4, at the start, says how many beats are in each bar. A sharp (♯) raises a note slightly, and a flat (♭) lowers it.
Music is also a kind of pattern, like number sequences. For the steady pulse and patterns of long and short sounds, see rhythm and beat. To learn how sounds are made, see sound and musical instruments.
Examples
| Item | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Staff | five lines for notes |
| Treble clef | higher notes |
| Note head position | pitch |
| Note shape | length |
| Rest | silence |
Common mistakes
- Mixing up lines and spaces. Count from the bottom line up.
- Thinking all notes last the same time. Their shapes differ.
- Ignoring the rests. Silence is part of the rhythm.
Quick quiz
Musical notes
Check what you know with 4 quick questions.
Question 1 of 4
How many lines does a musical staff have?
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For grown-ups
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