Music Notes Symbols Chart: Every Note, Rest, Clef and Accidental
Music notes are symbols on a five-line staff whose shape shows how long they last: in 4/4 a whole note (open oval) lasts 4 beats, a half note (open, with a stem) 2, a quarter note (filled) 1, an eighth note (one flag) ½ and a sixteenth note (two flags) ¼. Each has a matching rest, and clefs, sharps, flats and naturals show the pitch.
Updated · By the Classfern Music Department
Works in the UK and the US. This version uses US words and grades (measure, staff, quarter note, elementary school); the UK version uses bar, stave, crotchet and Key Stages. · UK version of this page
Key facts
- Note lengths in 4/4: whole note 4, half note 2, quarter note 1, eighth note ½, sixteenth note ¼ beats.
- Every note value has a matching rest of the same length.
- A dot after a note adds half its value; a tie joins two notes of the same pitch into one longer sound.
- Clefs fix the pitch: the treble (G) clef marks G4, the bass (F) clef marks F3 and the alto (C) clef marks middle C.
- Accidentals: ♯ sharp raises a note a half step, ♭ flat lowers it, ♮ natural cancels them; 𝄪 and 𝄫 move it two.
What are the symbols for music notes?
A music note is an oval note head placed on the staff, with or without a stem and flags. An open head with no stem is a whole note; add a stem for a half note; fill the head for a quarter note; add one flag for a eighth note and two for a sixteenth note.
Each extra flag halves the length. Flags turn into beams when eighth notes or shorter notes are grouped, so a beat is easy to see. The height of the note head on the staff shows the pitch; the shape shows how long it lasts.
Notes and rests chart
Each “Hear it” counts in four beats, then plays that note value against a quiet click.
| Name | Note | Beats | Rest | Hear it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| whole note UK: semibreve | 4 | |||
| half note UK: minim | 2 | |||
| quarter note UK: crotchet | 1 | |||
| eighth note UK: quaver | ½ | |||
| sixteenth note UK: semiquaver | ¼ |
For dotted notes, triplets and a rhythm builder, see Classfern’s note values page.
What do the clef symbols mean?
A clef at the start of the staff says which lines are which notes. The treble clef curls round the second line to mark G above middle C, the bass clef’s two dots surround the fourth line to mark F below middle C, and the C clef’s centre marks middle C.
What are sharp, flat and natural signs?
Sharps, flats and naturals are accidentals. A sharp (♯) raises a note by a half step, a flat (♭) lowers it by a half step, and a natural (♮) cancels an earlier sharp or flat. An accidental lasts until the end of the measure.
A double sharp (𝄪) raises a note two half steps and a double flat (𝄫) lowers it two. Sharps or flats written at the start of every line form the key signature and apply all the way through.
Copy and paste music symbols
Need a ♪ or a 𝄞 for a worksheet, a slide or a message? Press Copy, then paste. Symbols with five-digit codes need a font with music symbols; most phones and computers have one.
| Symbol | Name | Unicode | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|
| quarter note | U+2669 | ||
| eighth note | U+266A | ||
| beamed eighth notes | U+266B | ||
| beamed sixteenth notes | U+266C | ||
| flat | U+266D | ||
| natural | U+266E | ||
| sharp | U+266F | ||
| double sharp | U+1D12A | ||
| double flat | U+1D12B | ||
| treble clef (G clef) | U+1D11E | ||
| bass clef (F clef) | U+1D122 | ||
| C clef (alto or tenor) | U+1D121 | ||
| whole note | U+1D15D | ||
| half note | U+1D15E | ||
| quarter rest | U+1D13D | ||
| eighth rest | U+1D13E | ||
| fermata | U+1D110 | ||
| segno (the sign) | U+1D10B | ||
| coda | U+1D10C | ||
| start repeat | U+1D106 | ||
| end repeat | U+1D107 | ||
| common time (4/4) | U+1D134 | ||
| cut time (2/2) | U+1D135 |
What do dots, ties, slurs and beams mean?
A dot after a note makes it half as long again; a tie joins two notes of the same pitch so you play one longer note; a slur over different notes means play them smoothly; and a beam joins eighth notes or shorter notes into beat-sized groups.
Ledger lines, measure lines and time signatures
Ledger lines are short extra lines for notes above or below the staff; middle C sits on one ledger line below the treble staff. Bar lines divide the music into measures, a double bar line marks a new section, and a thick final bar line marks the end. The time signature, two numbers at the start, says how many beats are in each measure.
The symbol 𝄴 (a C) means common time, the same as 4/4, and 𝄵 (a C with a line through it) means cut time, 2/2. Read more on Classfern’s time signatures page.
Note values quiz: how many beats?
Marked by Classfern Ten questions on note lengths in 4/4, including dotted notes. Questions are made fresh each time by the Classfern lesson engine; your answers stay on this device.
Music notes symbols quiz
Marked by Classfern 5 multiple-choice questions on the Classfern lesson engine. Your answers stay on this device.
This free music notes symbols chart is part of the Classfern Music Department at lessonplanner.info. The notes and clefs are drawn with the same code as the Classfern reading course.
More music tools
Spotted a copyright problem with any music here? Report a copyright problem and we will check it quickly.