Bars
Time Signatures
Time signatures are written in parentheses: (4/4), (3/4), (6/8), (2/4), (3/8), etc.
A time signature appears immediately after the first barline it applies to, and remains in effect until another time signature is encountered:
| (4/4) Cm | F7 | Bb | Bb |
| Cm | (2/4) G7 | (4/4) Cm | Cm |
Barlines
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| |
Single barline |
|| |
Double barline |
||. |
Final barline (thick) |
||: |
Start repeat |
:|| |
End repeat |
:||x3 |
End repeat, play 3 times |
:||: |
End and start repeat |
A row of measures begins and ends with a barline. There is no implicit barline at the start of a line; you must write it.
| Am | G | F | G |
||: Am | G | F | G :||