How to Read Sheet Music (Notation) for Guitar

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How to Read Sheet Music (notation) for Guitar

This guide will give you a good introduction to reading music notation - a guide for students learning a 6-string guitar

(electric, acoustic & classical).

Labelled diagram of music notation:

Treble Clef

Key Signature

Up Stroke

This bracketed area is a bar

End bar line

(at the end

of a piece)

Down stroke

These 5 horizontal

lines are a ‘stave’

Bar line

Time Signature

Notes on the stave

The diagram below is an example of music notation using the treble clef stave that 6-string guitarists use:

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G

Treble Clef/G Clef

The diagram on the right is a Treble Clef or G Clef - it is called this as it surrounds the

‘G’ line. Now you know where the note G is you can count up (G, A, B, C etc) and

down (G, F, E, D etc) the spaces and lines to nd out where the other notes are. It is

also important to mention that the musical alphabet goes from notes A to G.

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F

A

C

E

Spaces

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Lines

E

G

B

D

F

This spells ‘FACE’

Rhyme: Every Green Bus Drives Fast

G line

Here are some easy ways to help you remember where the notes on the stave are:

You will also see notes that go above and below the stave. For these notes we use ledger lines to show us the pitch

of the note. For example:

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G

A

B

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G

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23

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2nd Fret

1st Fret

3rd Fret

4th Fret

5th Fret

6th Fret

7th Fret

8th Fret

9th Fret

10th Fret

11th Fret

12th Fret

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Open

Strings

Guitar Fingerboard (Standard Notation) Note Finder

F

A#

Bb

F

C

D#

Eb

G#

Ab

F#

Gb

B E A

C#

Db

F#

Gb

G C F

A#

Bb

D G

G#

Ab

C#

Db

F#

Gb

B

D#

Eb

G#

Ab

A D G

C E A

A#

Bb

D#

Eb

G#

Ab

C#

Db

A#

Bb

F

B

E

A D B

F#

Gb

C

F CG

D#

Eb

A#

Bb

C#

Db

F#

Gb

G#

Ab

C#

Db

B

E

D G C F

A

D

D#

Eb

G#

Ab

C#

Db

F#

Gb

A#

Bb

D#

Eb

E A D G B E

E

A D G B E

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MUSIC

6

5 4 3 2 1

String Numbers

6

5 4 3 2 1

Rhythms - Note Values

Here are the most common note lengths:

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w ˙ œ œ

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w ˙ œ œ

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This is a Semibreve (or whole note) - it lasts

for 4 beats

This is a Minim (or half note) - it lasts for 2

beats

This is a Crotchet (or quarter note) - it lasts

for 1 beat

This is a Quaver (or eighth note) - it lasts for

half a beat.

This is a Semiquaver (or sixteenth note) - it

lasts for a quarter of a beat

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You will also see

quavers grouped

as follows:

You will also see

semiquavers

grouped as follows:

Here is a handy chart which explains the breakdown of note lengths:

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w ˙ œ œ

j

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r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

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r

w ˙ œ œ

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j

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Minim (1/2 note)

You can t 2 of these in a semibreve

Crotchet (1/4 note)

You can t 4 of these in a semibreve

Quaver (1/8 note)

You can t 8 of these in a semibreve

Semiquaver (1/16 note)

You can t 16 of these in a semibreve

Semibreve (whole note)

2 beats each

1 beat each

1/2 a beat each

1/4 of a beat each

4 beats

œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœœœ

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Rhythms - Dotted Notes

If you see a dot after a note this extends the length of the note by half of its value. For example:

A dotted semibreve (dotted whole note) is worth

6 beats (4 beats, plus the dot which is 2 beats =

6 beats)

A dotted minim (dotted 1/2 note) is worth 3

beats (2 beats, plus the dot which is 1 beat = 3

beats)

A dotted crotchet (dotted 1/4 note) is worth 1

and a 1/2 beats (1 beat, plus the dot which is

1/2 a beat = 1 and a 1/2 beats)

A dotted quaver (dotted 1/8 note) is worth 3/4 of

a beat (1/2 a beat, plus the dot which is 1/4 of a

beat = 3/4 of a beat)

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

Here is an example of music with dotted notes in:

Rhythms - Rests

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

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r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

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r

Where there is a gap in a piece of music you will see symbols called ‘rests’ which tell you how long to stop playing for.

Here’s a chart to show rests and their time values:

Note

Beats

Equivalent Rest

Name of Rest

4

2

1

1/2

1/4

6

3

1 1/2

3/4

Semibreve rest (suspended from the 4th line)

Note: the semibreve rest also acts as a ‘whole bar rest’

Minim rest (mounted on the 3rd line)

Crotchet rest

Quaver rest

Semiquaver rest

Dotted semibreve rest

Dotted minim rest

Dotted crotchet rest

Dotted quaver rest

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

3/8

Dotted semiquaver rest

∑

™

Œ

™

‰

™

≈

™

‰ ≈Œ

∑ ∑

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

1

2

3

4

+

1

2

3

4

1

2

3

4

+

1

2

3

4

A semibreve rest is also used as a ‘whole bar rest’ in any time signature (time signatures are

explained on page 6)

Note:

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The symbol above the last note in the above example is a ‘pause’ - this means that you sustain this note - the

length of the pause is at the performers discretion. You often see pauses at the ends of phrases and/or at the end of a

piece of music.

Rhythms - Ties & Tempo Markings

A tie joins two notes of exactly the same pitch together to extend the length of the note. You will see ties over bar lines

or sometimes within the bar to keep the grouping of the notes correct making the music easier to read. You play the

rst note and hold it on for the full duration of the two tied notes. For example:

rit.

4

&

123

4

+

1

2

+

3

4

12 3

4

1

23

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The 2nd and 3rd notes are tied across the half

bar (middle of the bar), so instead of playing two

crotchets you would add these together

therefore making the note 2 beats long.

The last note (crotchet) in bar 3 is tied to the

rst note (mimim) in bar 4 so this would last

for 3 beats.

The marking above bar 3 is a ritardando (rit.) which means to gradually slow down in tempo (speed). You will also

notice that there is either a line or dots after a rit. which indicates how long the gradual tempo change should last.

For example: You will sometimes see rallentando (rall.) which is an alternative marking

for for the same tempo change. There is also Ritenuto (Riten.) which is fairly similar apart from it means to slow down

the tempo immediately rather than gradually.

rit.

4

&

123

4

+

1

2

+

3

4

12 3

4

1

23

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rit.

4

&

123

4

+

1

2

+

3

4

12 3

4

1

23

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Pauses

Rit. Rall. & Riten.

You may also see accel. (accelerando) marked above the stave which requires you to gradually speed up. This too

usually has a line or dots after the marking to speciy the length of this tempo change.

For example:

Accelerando

At the beginning of a piece of music the tempo is normally stated - please see our example above where the tempo

is . The composer/arranger marks this tempo so that the performer knows how fast to play the piece. The

number states how many ‘beats per minute’ and the note value states the type of beat - i.e in our example above

there are ‘60 crotchet beats per minute’. Most performers will use a metronome where you can simply select the

beats per minute and then it will sound a pluse at this tempo for you to play along with (note: metronomes are only

used whilst preparing pieces of music and not during performances).

Tempo Markings

‘A Tempo’ usually appears after a tempo (speed) change, such as a Rit. or Accel. ‘A Tempo’ means return to the

original tempo which is usually stated at the beginning of a piece of music.

Here is an example of the ‘A Tempo’ sign:

A Tempo

accel.

q

= 60

A tempo

q

= 60

A tempo

q

= 60

A tempo

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Rhythms - Time Signatures

At the start of a piece of music you will see a set of two numbers, one on top of the other. This is called the time

signature and this tells you how to count within that piece of music.

4

&

#

∑

The top number tells you how many beats

are in a bar

The bottom number tells you the type of beats,

ie crotchets (quarter notes), minims (half

notes), etc. This number is how many of the

type of beat you can t into a semibreve - ie

minim would be 2, quaver would be 8, etc

Here is our handy chart from earlier to help you understand how many of each type of beat ts into a semibreve:

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

w ˙ œ œ

j

œ

r

œ œ œœ œ œ œœ œœœœ

Minim (1/2 note)

You can t 2 of these in a semibreve

Crotchet (1/4 note)

You can t 4 of these in a semibreve

Quaver (1/8 note)

You can t 8 of these in a semibreve

Semibreve (whole note)

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Here are some time signatures explained:

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

- There are 2 beats in a bar

- Crotchet (1/4 note) beats

(‘4’ refers to crotchet beats as this is how many of that type of beat you can t into a semibreve)

2

4

&

12 1

+

2

+

1

2

+

1 2

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙

2 crotchet (1/4 note) beats per bar

=

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

- There are 3 beats in a bar

- Crotchet (1/4 note) beats

3

4

&

1231

+

2 312

+

3

+

1

23

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙

™

3 crotchet (1/4 note) beats per bar

=

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

- There are 2 beats in a bar

- Minim (1/2 note) beats

(‘2’ refers to minim beats as this is how many of that type of beat you can t into a semibreve)

2

&

12 1

+

2

+

12

+

12

˙ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œw

2/2 is also known as ‘cut-common time’, and can be written as either or

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

2 minim (1/2 note) beats per bar

=

- There are 2 beats in a bar

- Semibreve (whole note) beats

2 Semibreve (whole note) beats per bar

=

2

1

w œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œw ww

2

1

&w w œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œw ww

2 1

+

2

+

1

+

2 2

1

Page 7

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R

MUSIC

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

- There are 6 beats in a bar

- Quaver (1/8 note) beats

6

8

&

123456 1 23

+

4 56 1234 56 1 23456

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

™

œ œ

™

œ

™

œ œ œ ˙

™

6 quaver (1/8 note) beats per bar

=

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

- There are 3 beats in a bar

- Quaver (1/8 note) beats

(‘8’ refers to quaver beats as this is how many of that type of beat you can t into a semibreve)

3

8

&

123123 123

+

1 23

œ œ œ œ

j

œ œ œ

™

œ œ

™

3 quaver (1/8 note) beats per bar

=

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

- There are 4 beats in a bar

- Crotchet (1/4 note) beats

4

&

12341

+

2 3

+

4 123

+

4 1234

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œw

4/4 is also known as ‘common time’, and can be written as either or

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

2

4

3

4

c

2

C

6

8

3

8

∑∑ ∑ ∑∑∑∑∑

4 crotchet (1/4 note) beats per bar

=

It is important to mention that the above 6/8 time signature is grouped in 2 dotted crotchet (2 dotted 1/4

notes) beats per bar which helps you to play more lyrically - this is counted 123, 456 with beats 1 and 4

being emphasised. This also applies to 3/8 which is grouped as 1 dotted crotchet (dotted 1/4 note) beat per

bar for the same reason - this is counted 123 with beat 1 emphasised.

Note:

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R

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Accidentals

For a list of all the notes on the guitar shown on the stave and on the guitar fretboard please see our ‘guitar ngering

chart’ on page 2.

If you play all the notes we have mentioned in the ‘Notes on the Stave’ section on page 1, you will notice that you

haven’t used all of the frets on your guitar, so what are the rest for? Well, these are the in-between notes (the same

as the black notes on a piano) - the sharps and ats

#

b

n

#

b

n

#

b

n

#

b

n

#

b

n

Sharps - If you see these either in a key signature or before a note in a piece of music this

means to raise that note by half a step (semitone) - move up one fret.

Flats - If you see these either in a key signature or before a note in a piece of music this

means to lower that note by half a step (semitone) - move down one fret.

Naturals - You may see a natural sign to cancel out a previous accidental (sharp or at), or

if it is altering an accidental from the key signature. A natural could be raising or lowering

depending on whether the note was sharp or at before. If it was sharp then the natural

will lower the note by half a step (semitone) - down one fret, or if the note was at then the

natural will raise the note by half a step (semitone) - up one fret.

When sharps or ats are seen in the key signature (you will not see both at once) then those sharp/at signs apply

throughout the whole piece of music (unless otherwise altered within the music score). For example:

4

&

#

This means that all F, C & G's in this piece will be sharp

This key signature means that all

F’s, C’s & G’s in this piece are sharp

(raise by half a step)

4

&

b

This means that all B, E, A & D's in this piece will be flat

This key signature means that all

B’s, E’s, A’s & D’s in this piece are at

(lower by half a step)

If you see sharps, ats or naturals directly before a note then they effect that particular note and last from their

marking for the duration of that bar only and for just that particular note (unless they are cancelled out by another

accidental). For example:

etc.

This G is also sharp due to

the G# accidental 2 notes

out by the natural

4

&

This G would

also be sharp

This G sharp has been

cancelled out by the natural

etc.

œ

œ#

œ

œ#

œ

œn

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R

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Key Signatures

A key signature is a combination of sharps or ats found at the start of a piece of music (after the clef) which

indicates the key to play in. A key signature tells you which notes (by their placement on the stave) are consistently

played ‘sharp’ or ‘at’ (this applies to the note at any octave). For example:

This is the key signature for D Major.

It has 2 sharps - F# & C#. This means

that any F’s & C’s in this piece of

music will be sharpened (raised by

half a step (semitone))

C

F#

Eb

A

F

G

Bb

D

Ab

C#

Cb

E

a min

d min

c min

g min

f# min

eb / d# min

f min

c# min

bb / a# min

b min

e min

ab / g# min

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This is the key signature for Bb Major.

It has 2 ats - Bb & Eb. This means

that any B’s & E’s in this piece of

music will be attened (lowered by

half a step (semitone))

Apart from telling you what key the music is in, a key signature cuts down on the amount of written accidentals within

the music. You may see the key signature change part way through a piece of music, this is because as a piece of

music progresses it is common for the composer to change key to create a new mood.

Each major and minor key has an allocated key signature. Here is a diagram of the major keys with their key

signature and their relative minor keys (the minor key with the same key signature). In the outer ring of the circle you

will nd the major keys with the relative minor keys in the inner circle:

Page 11

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R

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The sharps or ats in a key signature are always written in the same order:

Sharps, will always go in this order:

F, C, G, D, A, E, B

Flats will always go in this order:

B, E, A, D, G, C, F

How to work out what key you are in...

If the key signature has sharps, then go to the last sharp

and go up half a step (semitone) to nd the major key.

For example if you have the following key signature:

Go to the last sharp which is A#, then go

up half a step (semitone) to B and this is

your major key - B major.

Major Keys:

If the key signature has ats, go to the penultimate at

and that is your major key. For example if you have the

following key signature:

Go to the penultimate at which is Eb

and this is your major key - Eb major.

Minor Keys:

Find out the name of the major key and then go down 3

half steps (3 semitones) to get to your relative minor key.

For example if you have the following key signature:

This key signature has sharps so if we

look at the last sharp which is G#, then

go up half a step (semitone) to get to the

major key - A major. Then we simply go

down 3 half steps (semitones) to get to

the relative minor - f# minor.

An example of this using a at key signature:

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This key signature has ats so go to the

penultimate at which is Eb, that is your

major key - Eb major. Then we simply

go down 3 half steps (semitones) to get

to the relative minor - c minor.

An easy way to remember the order of sharps is by

using the following rhyme:

You may spot that this is simply the reverse of the order

of sharps, so to remember this we can just reverse the

rhyme:

Father

Charles

Goes

Down

And

Ends

Battle

Ends

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Goes

Charles’s

Father

Dynamics

You will see dynamic markings underneath the stave and they may change throughout the piece of music as seen in

the below example:

Dynamics tell you how loud or soft to play a section of music. Here is a table of dynamics from quietest to loudest:

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pianissimo

piano

mezzo piano

mezzo forte

forte

fortissimo

crescendo

diminuendo / decrescendo

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Moderately quiet

Moderately loud

Loud

Very Loud

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Gradually becoming quieter

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Italian

English Denition

Page 12

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Navigation - Repeats, Da Capo, Dal Segno & Codas

To save writing out lots of repeated music within a piece you will see various symbols to tell you where to navigate to

within the music - Repeats, Da Capo, Dal Segno & Codas being the most common ways.

If you need to go back to the beginning of the music you will see one repeat mark at the end of the section they want

you to repeat up to. For example:

Repeat Marks

etc.

So in the above example you would play bars 1-4, then go back to the beginning and repeat bars 1-4, then continue

past the repeat mark on to bar 5 and onwards.

If you need to go back to a specic point within the music then you will see two sets of repeat marks to show you the

exact section:

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In this example you would play bars 1-13, then you would jump back to the start repeat mark at bar 9 and repeat bars

9-12, then continue past the repeat mark on to bar 13 and onwards.

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Page 13

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R

MUSIC

1st & 2nd Time Endings

Another way to cut down on writing out excess music is to have a 1st time ending and a 2nd time ending. When you

reach the end of the 1st time ending you will see a repeat mark which will either send you back to the beginning, or

another repeat mark:

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In this example the rst time you play you would play bars 1-4, then follow the repeat marks back to bar 1. Then you

would play bars 1-2, but then instead of playing the 1st time ending (bars 3-4) you would play the 2nd time ending

(bars 5-6), then continue on through the music.

etc.

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Da Capo, Dal Segno & Codas

Da Capo al Fine means 'from the beginning to the end' (‘Fine’ means end). In this case you would play from bar 1 to

16 then where you see ‘Da Capo al Fine’ you go back to the beginning and then when you come across the the word

'Fine' this is where you would nish playing. For example:

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Page 14

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MUSIC

Da Capo al Coda means 'from the beginning to the coda'. Here you would go back to the beginning as stated and

then where you see the words 'to coda' or the following symbol then you would jump to the Coda which will be a

separate section at the end of the music and will have the coda symbol at the start of it. For example:

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4

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To Coda

Da Capo al Coda

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Coda

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Dal Segno means ‘from the sign’ and is often abbreviated to D.S. The ‘sign’ looks like this

When you see the words 'Dal Segno' or D.S. then you need to go back and nd this sign and repeat from there.

If there are no other instructions then you would play this straight through to the end. For example:

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Da Capo al Coda

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Page 15

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Dal Segno al Fine means 'from the sign to the end'. In this case when you see D.S. go back to the sign and then

when you come across the word 'Fine' nish playing. For example:

7

12

18

22

4

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Fine

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Dal Segno al Coda means 'from the sign to the coda'. When you see D.S. go back to the sign and then when you

see the words 'to coda' or the following symbol jump to the Coda. The Coda is a separate section at the end of the

music and will have the coda symbol at the start of it. For example:

7

12

17

4

&

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&

ﬁ

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Dal Segno al Coda

&

Coda

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