Contents
1. Note Values 2. Bars and Time Signatures 3. Pitch Names 4. Staves and Clefs 5. Staff Notation 6. Ledger Lines 7. Sharps, Flats, and Naturals 8. Semitones, Whole Tones, and the C Major Scale 9. G Major, D Major, and F Major Scales 10. Rests 11. Ties and Dots 12. Tonality and Key Signatures 13. Accidentals 14. Scale Degrees 15. Tonic Chords 16. Intervals 17. Beaming Notes within a Bar 18. Performance Directions
ABRSM Grade 1 Knowledge Points
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| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| accelerando (or accel.) | gradually faster |
| adagio | slow |
| allegretto | moderately fast (but not as fast as allegro) |
| allegro | fast (literally "cheerful") |
| andante | at a moderate pace (walking speed) |
| cantabile | in a singing style |
| crescendo (or cresc.) | gradually louder |
| da capo (or D.C.) | repeat from the beginning |
| dal segno (or D.S.) | repeat from the sign ( ) |
| decrescendo (or decresc.) | gradually softer |
| diminuendo (or dim.) | gradually softer |
| fine | the end |
|
f (= forte) | loud |
| ff (= fortissimo) | very loud |
| legato | smoothly |
| lento | slow |
| mezzo | half |
| mf (= mezzo forte) | moderately loud (literally "half" loud) |
| mp (= mezzo piano) | moderately soft |
| moderato | moderately (allegro moderato: moderately fast) |
| p (= piano) | soft |
| pp (= pianissimo) | very soft |
| poco | a little |
| rallentando (or rall.) | gradually slower (with a sense of tension) |
| ritardando (or ritard. or rit.) | gradually slower (naturally) |
| ritenuto (or riten. or rit.) | immediately slower |
| staccato (or stacc.) | detached |
| tempo | speed, pace (a tempo: return to the original speed) |
 | # crescendo (gradually louder) |
 | # diminuendo (gradually softer) |
 | drawn above two notes (do not confuse with a tie) or above a group of notes; called a "slur", meaning to play these notes smoothly |
 | ottava (octave) |
 | (above one or more notes): play one octave higher |
 | (below one or more notes): play one octave lower |
 staccato | (a dot above or below a note): detached |
 | (above or below a note): accent |
 | above a note or rest below a note or rest } hold the note longer |
 and  | repeat signs: at the second sign, return to the first sign and repeat the section once (if repeating from the very beginning of the piece, the first sign is omitted) |
M.M =72(or =72)
| 72 quarter-note beats per minute (M.M. stands for Maelzel's Metronome) |
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