Notes indicate both pitch and duration. The round head of each note sits on a line or space of the staff to signify pitch. The style of note head, stem and flag indicate duration. A hollow oval note with no stem is held for four beats. A solid note head with a stem and one flag is held for half a beat. Each note has a corresponding rest. A rest signifies a break in playing.
The left side of the staff has two important symbols: the clef and the time signature. Clefs indicate the pitch value of each line and space of the staff. If a treble clef is used, the second line from the bottom of the staff is a G above middle C; if a bass clef is used, the second line from the top of the staff is an F below middle C. Time signatures indicates the number of beats in a bar. For example, if a 4 is stacked on another 4, there are four quarter notes per bar.
Sharps (#) and flats (b) are placed beside notes when they are to be played one semi-tone up or down, respectively. These are called accidentals. Key signatures are a series of sharps or flats placed next to the clef to indicate the key of a piece. Key signatures are used instead of placing a sharp or flat beside each note of a piece, while accidentals are used to sharpen or flatten notes on occasions when a note deviates from the key of the music.
A single bar line on a staff separates measures, while a bold double bar line indicates the end of a piece. A dot to the right of a note increases the duration of the note by half its length. A dot above or below a note indicates staccato. "D.C." is written to instruct musicians to repeat the piece from the beginning, while "pp" is short for "pianissimo," instructing players to play "very soft." A vertical squiggly line beside a chord indicates an arpeggiated chord.