This glossary defines the most common terms in written music, from sheet music and MIDI to lead sheets, tablature, time signatures, and key signatures, each in plain English with a link to a fuller guide. The terms are grouped so related ideas sit together: ways to write music down, the file formats that store it, the symbols you read on the page, and the steps that take a recording into notation. Skim the group you need, read the short definition, and follow the link when you want the full story.
Ways to write music down
There is no single way to put a song on paper. These are the main formats, ordered roughly from the most detailed to the most stripped back, each suited to a different reader and a different job.
Sheet music (standard notation)
Sheet music, also called standard notation, is the traditional system of writing music: notes drawn on a five-line staff, with clefs that fix the pitches, rhythmic values that show how long each note lasts, and key and time signatures that set the context. It is the most complete and most widely shared way to write music down, which is why it is the common language across instruments and traditions.
Lead sheet
A lead sheet is the melody written out on a staff with chord symbols above it, and little else. It gives a working musician the two things they most need, the tune and the harmony, on a single page, which is why it is the format jazz and pop players reach for first. Read more about lead sheets.
Chord chart
A chord chart gives the chords and the rhythm of a song without writing out the melody. It is the most stripped-back way to put a song on paper, and for a rhythm section backing a singer it is often all that is needed. Read more about chord charts.
Tablature
Tablature, or tab, shows you where to put your fingers rather than which pitches to play. For guitar it uses lines for the strings and numbers for the frets, which makes it the fastest way for a guitarist to read a part, with the trade-off that it carries less about rhythm than standard notation. Read more about tablature.
Piano roll
A piano roll shows music as bars on a grid, with pitch running up the vertical axis and time running left to right, and the length of each bar showing how long you hold the note. With no clefs or rhythmic symbols to decode, it is the friendliest format for anyone who never learned to read notation. Read more about the piano roll.
Music file formats
When music lives on a computer rather than on paper, it is stored in a file format. Two formats matter most for notation, and they are easy to mix up because both hold the notes rather than recorded sound.
MIDI
MIDI is not sound; it is a set of instructions that describe a performance, such as which note was played, when it started and stopped, and how hard it was struck. Because it stores the notes themselves rather than audio of them, you can change the instrument, the tempo, or any single note after the fact. It is the format software reads, and it maps directly onto a piano roll. Read more about MIDI.
MusicXML
MusicXML is the open format that moves sheet music between programs without retyping it. Where MIDI loses the look of a score, MusicXML carries the full notation, including staff layout, articulations, and lyrics, so a score made in one editor opens cleanly in another. It is the interchange format for written notation. Read more about MusicXML.
Reading the symbols
A few symbols on a score set the rules for everything that follows. These three come up first and answer the most common beginner questions about how to count a piece and what key it is in.
Time signature
The two numbers at the start of a piece tell you how to count it. The top number is how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number names the kind of note that gets one beat, which is what gives 4/4, 3/4, and 6/8 their different feels. Read more about time signatures.
Key signature
The sharps or flats written at the start of each staff are a shortcut that tells you which key the piece is in, so you do not have to mark every altered note individually. Reading one tells you the key and which notes are raised or lowered throughout. Read more about key signatures.
Transposition
Transposing a piece means moving every note up or down by the same amount to land in a new key. Musicians do it to suit a singer's range, to make a part easier to play, or to write for an instrument that reads in a different key. Read more about transposition.
From recording to notation
These terms come up the moment you try to turn a recording into something you can read and play. They cover the act itself, a step that often helps it along, and the choices you make about the result.
Music transcription
Music transcription is the act of writing down music you can hear but do not have on paper, turning a recording or a performance into notation, tab, or MIDI. It can be done by ear or with AI, and it is the umbrella over most of the work the rest of these terms describe. Read more about music transcription.
Stem separation
Stem separation splits a finished mix back into its parts, such as vocals, drums, and bass on their own. It can be a useful step before transcribing a dense recording, since it lets you work on one instrument at a time. Read more about stem separation.
Difficulty levels
Difficulty labels like beginner, intermediate, and grade 1 through 8 describe how hard a piece is to play, though they mean different things depending on who wrote them. Knowing what actually makes music hard helps you match a score to a player. Read more about difficulty levels.
Types of transcription
Transcription comes in several formats, and the one you choose decides what ends up on the page, whether that is a full score, a lead sheet, a chord chart, or a single solo line. Picking the right format up front saves a lot of rework. Read more about the types of transcription.
Reading sheet music
Reading sheet music is the skill of turning the symbols on a staff back into the notes they represent: the note names, the rhythm, and the key and time signatures, in the order they come up. You do not need a childhood of lessons to learn it as an adult. Read more about reading sheet music.
Once the terms make sense, the natural next step is to get notation of your own. Songscription turns any recording into sheet music, MIDI, and a piano roll in one pass, so you can put these formats to use on a song you actually want to play.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between MIDI and sheet music?
Both describe notes rather than recorded sound, but they are aimed at different readers. MIDI is a set of instructions a computer reads: which note, when it starts and stops, and how hard it is struck, with no fixed look on a page. Sheet music is the same kind of information laid out for a human to read, with a staff, clefs, and rhythmic values. You can convert between them, since both carry the notes, but MIDI is for software and sheet music is for people.
What is the difference between a lead sheet and a chord chart?
A lead sheet gives you the melody written out on a staff with chord symbols above it, so you can both play the tune and supply the harmony. A chord chart is more stripped back: it gives the chords and the rhythm but no written-out melody, which is all a rhythm section usually needs. The simple rule is that a lead sheet shows the melody and a chord chart does not.
What is MusicXML used for?
MusicXML is the open file format that moves sheet music between notation programs without retyping it. If you create a score in one program and want to open and edit it in another, such as MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, or Dorico, MusicXML is what carries the full notation across, including the staff layout, articulations, and lyrics that a MIDI file would lose. It is the interchange format for written notation.
Ready to turn a recording into readable notation? Upload a song and get sheet music, MIDI, and a piano roll.
