Brainlag Plus

Signs and ornaments

Music theory, Terms, signs and instruments, 14 minutes

Articulation and other signs from Grades 1 and 2, then the ornament signs that are new at Grade 4.

Signs on a note

Small signs above or below a note change how it is played:

Sign	Name	What it tells you
a dot	staccato	short and detached
a wedge	staccatissimo	very short and detached
a short line	tenuto	held for its full value, slightly stressed
a dot and a line	semi-staccato	slightly detached
>	accent	play the note with emphasis
a hat (^)	strong accent	a strong accent, stronger than an ordinary accent
an arc over a dot	pause	hold the note longer than its written value

Staccato, staccatissimo, tenuto, accent; then a strong accent, and a pause on the last note

The rest of this lesson and its 5 practice questions are in Plus.

Screen 1 of 4, free to read.