Can You Identify These Musical Notation Marks?

By: Jacqueline Samaroo
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Identify These Musical Notation Marks?
Image: Shutterstock

About This Quiz

The ability to read sheet music is often likened to knowing a foreign language. It's an impressive skill, indeed and one you can show off by trying to identify all the musical notation marks in our quiz. Think you're up to the challenge? Jump into this awesome quiz and find out!
Staff
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Staff
The staff is called a stave in British English. Notes are written on the lines and in the spaces of the staff in such a way that higher pitch notes are placed in higher positions.
Neutral Clef
Crescendo
Eighth Note

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Flat Accidental
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Piano
Whole Rest
Flat Accidental
An accidental is used to alter the pitch of each note coming after it in the bar and in the same position as the accidental. A note is lowered by one semitone if modified by a flat accidental.
Repeat Signs

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C Clef
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Ghost Note
Dotted Note
Bar Line
C Clef
Clefs are usually written in the leftmost position on a staff with all other needed notations following them. The C Clef points to the position of middle C.

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Tie
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Six-Eight Time
Staccato
Tie
A tie is used to indicated that the two identical notes are performed as one unbroken note. The duration is equal to the sum of the lengths of the individual notes.
Diminuendo

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Half Note
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Brace
Half Note
The half note is called a minim in British English. It is played for half the time of a whole note.
Sixteenth Note
Arpeggiated Chord

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Sharp Accidental
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Cut Time
Trill
Double Bar Line
Sharp Accidental
The sharp accidental affects notes following it on the same line or in the same space within a bar. It raises those notes by one semitone.

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Ledger Lines
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Double Flat Accidental
Ledger Lines
Ledger lines are placed either above or below the staff to show pitches that fall outside of it. They run for just a short distance before and after the note that they support.
Slur
Breath Mark

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Eighth Rest
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Eighth Rest
The eighth rest indicates a pause as long as an eighth note. It is called a quaver rest in British English.
Tremolo
Bold Double Bar Line
Quarter Note

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F Clef
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Three-Quarter Time
F Clef
All clefs are used to give an indication of the pitch at which music is played or sung. The F Clef marks the position of F below middle C.
Glissando
Quarter Rest

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Trill
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Dotted Note
Natural Accidental
Caesura
Trill
A trill is also called a shake. It involves rapidly alternating between playing a note and the next higher note to it.

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Half Rest
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Quarter Note
Half Rest
The half rest is a period of silence equivalent to the length of a half note. In British English it is called a minim rest.
Common Time
G Clef

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Cut Time
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Cut Time
Cut time is also called alla breve. It is represented as 2/2 or by a letter C with a vertical line through it. The capital C by itself indicates common or 4/4 time.
Dotted Bar Line
Forte
Repeat Signs

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Bar Line
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Whole Note
Beamed Notes
Bar Line
Bar lines are drawn vertically through a staff. They may be single or in pairs and may also be bold or dotted. The total time for all notes and/or rests between consecutive bars is given by the time signature.
Tremolo

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Slur
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Piano
Slur
The slur indicates that the notes flow smoothly one into the other. No break is detected.
Bold Double Bar Line
Glissando

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Argeppiated Chord
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Pianissimo
Ghost Note
Arpeggiated Chord
The notes in an arpeggiated chord are played in rapid succession in either ascending or descending order. The arpeggiated chord is sometimes called a broken chord.
Sixteenth Note

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Neutral Clef
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Six-Eight Time
Double Sharp Accidental
Dotted Bar Line
Neutral Clef
The neutral clef is also called the indefinite pitch clef or percussion clef. It is typically used for unpitched or pitchless percussion instruments. This technically means the neutral clef is not a true clef since clefs are meant to indicate pitch.

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Natural Accidental
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Bracket
Breath Mark
Natural Accidental
The natural is a special type accidental. It can be used to cancel the effect of a previous accidental.
Caesura

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Dotted Bar Line
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Dotted Bar Line
The dotted bar line is also called the dashed bar line or the auxiliary bar line. It is used as a subdivision between two unbroken bar lines and is meant to make the music easier to read and interpret.
Quarter Rest
Multi-Measure Rest
Brace

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Piano
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
F Clef
Staff
Three-Quarter Time
Piano
The word “piano” literally means “soft” in Italian. It instructs the musician to play the indicated section of music softly.

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Quarter Rest
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Quarter Rest
A quarter rest (American English) or crochet rest (British English) indicates a break for as long as a quarter note. There are two symbols for the quarter rest, one of which looks like an eighth rest written back-to-front.
Caesura
Bold Double Bar Line
Trill

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Six-Eight Time
n/a
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Whole Rest
Double Sharp Accidental
G Clef
Six-Eight Time
Time signatures tell you how many beats there are to the bar. They are also called meter signature or measure signature.

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Tremolo
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Fortissimo
Tremolo
The tremolo notation instructs the musician to produce a trembling or wavering effect in how the played note sounds. The symbol is placed between two notes to show that the effect is created by combining them.
Bracket
Eighth Note

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Ghost note
n/a
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Diminuendo
Pianissimo
Eighth Rest
Ghost Note
The ghost note has rhythm but lacks any obvious pitch. The ghost note goes by several names, including “silenced note,” “dead note” and “muted note.”

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Forte
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Half Rest
Forte
The word “forte” comes from the Latin word “fortis.” In Italian, it means strong or loud.
Sixteenth Note
Brace

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Double Bar Line
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Double Bar Line
The double bar line separates sections within a piece of music. They are also used just before a change in the key signature.
Multi-Measure Rest
Quarter Note
Trill

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Glissando
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Sharp Accidental
Whole Rest
Glissando
The glissando indicates that the musician should glide from one pitch up or down to the next. The term is often used interchangeably with the term “portamento.”
Whole Note

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Quarter Note
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Ledger Lines
Arpeggiated Chord
Quarter Note
The quarter note is called a crochet in British English. The name “crochet” is derived from its hooked shape
Fortissimo

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Staccato
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Double Sharp Accidental
Staccato
A dot is placed either above or below the note to be played in staccato fashion. It is played shorter than its actual length while the rest of the time the note would have lasted is rendered as silence.
Six-Eight Time
Tie

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Diminuendo
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Diminuendo
The term “decrescendo” is used interchangeably with diminuendo. They are the opposite of crescendo and they call for a decrease in volume.
Repeat Signs
Neutral Clef
Ghost Note

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Pianissimo
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Cut Time
Beamed Notes
Pianissimo
The instruction of pianissimo falls between piano and pianississimo. That is, between soft and extremely soft. It is usually described as very soft.
C Clef

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Bold Double Bar Line
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Common Time
Bold Double Bar Line
The bold double bar line is used to indicate the beginning or end of a piece of music. It is written with the thicker bar on the outside at all times.
Forte
Ledger Lines

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Crescendo
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Bar Line
Eighth Note
Flat Accidental
Crescendo
The crescendo can be applied to a single note or to a series of notes. It indicates that the volume should increase gradually.

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Double Flat Accidental
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Staff
G Clef
Double Flat Accidental
The double flat accidental has the effect of lowering a note by two semitones or the equivalent of a whole step. The symbol can be written to look like two separate or two joined "b"s.
Half Note

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Repeat Signs
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Three-Quarter Time
Dotted Bar Line
F Clef
Repeat Signs
The piece of music which falls between two repeat signs should be played through then over again. A single repeat sign gives the instruction to go again from the beginning.

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Dotted Note
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Half Rest
Dotted Note
A dot is placed to the right of any note to indicate that it is lengthened by one-half. A dotted note can also be dotted, shown as the original note with two dots to the right.
Glissando
Breath Mark

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Common Time
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Tie
Natural Accidental
Double Bar Line
Common Time
Common time is also called 4/4 time. It indicates that there is the equivalent of four quarter notes or crochets in each bar.

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Bracket
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Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Bracket
The bracket is used to join lines of music played at the same time by different instruments. It can also be used for showing parts of song performed simultaneously by different parts of a band or orchestra..
Slur
Double Flat Accidental
Half Note

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Multi-Measure Rest
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
C Clef
Sharp Accidental
Multi-Measure Rest
The multi-measure or multiple bar (British English) rest says there is silence for more than one bar. The number of bars for which the rest lasts is normally written above it.
Crescendo

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Fortissimo
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Fortissimo
Fortissimo falls midway between forte and fortississimo. That means the note or series of notes should be played very loudly but not extremely so.
Quarter Rest
Flat Accidental
Piano

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Whole Note
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Tremolo
Eighth Rest
Whole Note
The whole note is called a semibreve in British English. It is played for as long as four beats in common or 4/4 time.
Staccato

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Double Sharp Accidental
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
C Clef
Double Sharp Accidental
The double sharp accidental, as its name suggests, is the equivalent of two sharp accidentals. It raises a note by a whole step or by two semitones.
Slur
Dotted Note

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Eighth Note
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Diminuendo
Double Bar Line
Neutral Clef
Eighth Note
The eighth note is called a quaver in British English. The single eighth note has a flag at the top of the stem. Two or more consecutive eighth notes are usually connected by a line at the top of the stems. They are then said to be beamed.

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Breath Mark
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Double Flat Accidental
Half Rest
Breath Mark
For players of wind instruments, the breath mark usually indicates stopping to take a (short) breath. Players of non-wind instruments use it as a signal to take a short pause.
Fortissimo

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Brace
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Natural Accidental
Eighth Rest
Staccato
Brace
The brace joins two or more lines of music. It indicates that they are played at the same time (usually by a single instrument).

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Beamed Notes
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Half Note
Beamed Notes
Beams are used to connect consecutive eighth notes or notes valued less than the eighth. Notes of different values, such as an eighth note and a sixteenth note, can be beamed together. Beams do not cross bar lines.
Bar Line
Bracket

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Three-Quarter Time
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Three-Quarter Time
Three-quarter time is also called three-four time. It tells you that each bar in a piece of music contains the equivalent of three quarter (or crochet) notes.
Arpeggiated Chord
Crescendo
Tie

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Whole Rest
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Staff
Whole Rest
The whole rest corresponds to a break which lasts for as long as a whole note. It is called a semibreve rest in British English.
Ledger Lines
Beamed Notes

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Caesura
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Caesura
The caesura is a type of breath mark which indicates a brief pause in the music. It is governed by the conductor and so music resumes only when the conductor indicates to do so.
Whole Note
F Clef
Multi-Measure Rest

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Sixteenth Note
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
Common Time
Sixteenth Note
The semiquaver (British English) or sixteenth note (American English) is played for half as long as the eighth note. The single sixteenth note has two flags at the top of the stem while consecutive sixteenth notes are beamed or connected with a double line.
Forte
Sharp Accidental

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G Clef
Wiki commons
Which musical notation is shown in this image?
G Clef
Most persons who have studied music even briefly would be familiar with the G clef as it is the one most commonly used. It shows the position of G above middle C.
Flat Accidental
Pianissimo
Cut Time

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