Music Notes and Symbols Test

Take this quiz to test your knowledge of music notation!

Music notes are the language of music! Once you master them, you’ll be able to sight-read sheet music and even play new pieces on the fly.

We’re here to test your basic knowledge of notes and other symbols with a helpful quiz. Let’s see if you know your half notes from your quarter notes, or your treble clef from your bass clef!

A photo of sheet music.

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Questions Overview

1. What is this symbol?
  1. C clef
  2. Treble clef
  3. Tenor clef
  4. Tablature
2. What is this symbol?
  1. Double whole note
  2. Quarter note
  3. Whole note
  4. Half note
3. What is this symbol?
  1. Bass clef
  2. Treble clef
  3. G clef
  4. C clef
4. What does a dot after a note represent?
  1. Makes the note longer by half.
  2. Shortens note by half.
  3. Doubles the length of the note.
  4. Triples the length of the note.
5. What is this symbol?
  1. Quarter note
  2. Half note
  3. Eighth note
  4. Whole note
6. How many beams would two connected sixteenth notes have?
  1. 1
  2. 3
  3. 0
  4. 2
7. What is this symbol?
  1. Eighth rest
  2. Quarter rest
  3. Whole rest
  4. Double whole rest
8. What is this symbol?
  1. Quarter note
  2. Whole note
  3. Half note
  4. Sixteenth note
9. What is this symbol?
  1. Natural
  2. Flat
  3. Double flat
  4. Sharp
10. Which vertical line(s) indicate the end of a movement or composition?
  1. Dotted bar line
  2. Single bar line
  3. Double bar line
  4. Bold double bar line
11. What is this symbol? #
  1. Natural
  2. Dot
  3. Flat
  4. Sharp
12. What is this symbol?
  1. Half rest
  2. Quarter rest
  3. Eighth rest
  4. Whole rest
13. Where would you usually find a whole rest?
  1. At the end of the staff.
  2. Sitting on top of the second-to-the-top line of the staff.
  3. Hanging from the second-to-the-top line of the staff.
  4. At the end of the movement.

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Other Important Music Notation Terms

Music notation is the written language of sound. It’s sort of like reading a book, except instead of words, you have notes! It takes a little studying and practice, but with time, you’ll be able to read music like it was a thrilling novel, and not just dots and lines on a sheet. Here are some important key terms you should keep in mind as you study:

Breath mark: A breath mark is indicated by a ‘ or apostrophe above the staff. It indicates a small break or separation. For singers, they might take a breath here. For bowed string instruments, the musician might lift the bow before playing the next notes.

Caesura: A caesura is a pause where time is not counted, and is indicated by a //. It’s like a rest or a breath mark, but is a little more open to interpretation in terms of how long the pause is.

Ledger lines: These are additional lines above or below the staff, where especially high or low notes might be displayed.

Bar lines: Bar lines separate bars or measures of music, following the time signature. A double bar line represents a separation in sections of music, while a bold double bar line represents the conclusion. A dotted bar line divides measures of complex sequences for easier reading.

Brace: Braces span 2+ lines of music, indicating that they’re to be placed simultaneously, often when played by a single musician.

Bracket: Brackets also connect 2+ lines of music that are to be played simultaneously, but usually by separate musicians.

Tablature: This is an alternate form of notation in which the lines represent the strings of an instrument, rather than strictly ascending or descending pitch.

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