notation explained
theorynoh-TAY-shun
A comprehensive guide to the system of written symbols used to represent music.
Musical notation is the system of written symbols that represents pitch, rhythm, dynamics, tempo, articulation, and other performance instructions on paper or screen. Western staff notation, which uses a five-line staff, clefs, note heads, stems, flags, rests, and various markings, is the most widely used system worldwide. The system evolved over more than a thousand years, from medieval neumes to the precise notation used today. Alternative notation systems include tablature (for guitar and other fretted instruments), Nashville number system (using scale degree numbers instead of note names), graphic notation (using visual art to suggest musical gestures), and lead sheet notation (melody with chord symbols). Notation serves as a communication medium between composers and performers — a set of instructions that, when interpreted by a skilled musician, brings music to life. The ability to read notation fluently is called sight-reading.
Music notation is one of the oldest forms of written communication still in active daily use — the basic system has been in continuous use for over 800 years.