Understanding basic music notation is really important for people who are just starting to play the piano. Let’s break down the essential symbols you need to know:

Staff and Clefs

• Staff: This is made up of five lines and four spaces where you put notes.
• Clefs:
  • Treble Clef: This is used for higher notes, usually played with your right hand.
  • Bass Clef: This is for lower notes, usually played with your left hand.

Notes and Rests

• Notes:
  • Whole Note: Lasts for 4 beats.
  • Half Note: Lasts for 2 beats.
  • Quarter Note: Lasts for 1 beat (this is the most common for beginners).
  • Eighth Note: Lasts for 0.5 beats.
• Rests: These mean silence in music.
  • Whole Rest: 4 beats of silence.
  • Half Rest: 2 beats of silence.
  • Quarter Rest: 1 beat of silence.

Time Signature

• This is found at the start of the staff. It tells you how many beats are in each measure. For example, common time is written as $4/4$, meaning there are 4 beats in each measure.

Key Signatures

• This is also found at the start of the staff. It tells you which notes will be sharp or flat throughout the piece of music.

Dynamics

• These are symbols that show how loud or soft the music should be.
  • p = piano (soft)
  • f = forte (loud)

If you get familiar with these symbols, which are about 75% of what you will see in sheet music, learning to play simple songs will be much easier!