To write music you need a staff. You can not write music in a blank piece of paper, you need lines. Five lines. The five horizontal lines is called: The Staff. The first line is the bottom, and the fifth line is the top. The staff has five lines and four spaces.
The know the name of the notes in the staff, you need a clef, or a key, The Treble Clef is the first one you will learn, and it's used for middle to high notes. The Guitar use the Treble Clef, Other instruments that use the Treble Clef are: The Violin, Flute, Trumpet, Oboe, and the right hand for the Piano.
To know the tempo, or timing of a piece, you need a Time Signature. The numbers you see here, they represent a Time Signature in four four's. The top number will tell you how many notes on each measure, and the bottom number tells you what kind of notes you need. As you learn more music you will understand these symbols better. For now just learn their name.
A Whole note last four counts. It has the shape of an oval. It's a long note, and you can write this note in any line of the staff, or in any space. Solfeo No. 1 is using only whole notes.
A whole rest last four counts. It is a dark thick line, that you place in the staff. It is hanging from the fourth line of the staff, see picture.
The double Bar Line indicates the ending of a song, or a piece of music. It's the Thick Vertical Line and the thin one. At the right side, or ending of the Staff. When you see this symbol it means that the song is finished.
The Bar Line is just one vertical line that separates the music notation. According to the Time Signature, you place a bar line, every so many beats, to divide the music in measures. This will make music much easiier to read.
The tempo, is indicated by a little note equals to certain number. The number is high or low, the higher the number the faster the music. You can count the time using a "Metronome". A machine to count time, or tempo in music.
A Half Note last two counts. This note has a little stem, going up, or it can have the stem going down. It's an oval with a stick. The half note last half of the time as a whole note.
A Half Rest last two counts. Just like a half note, a half rest take the space of two counts. but with no sound. When you see a rest, it means "silence" you play nothing, and make no sound, but you keep counting for as long as the rest duration.
Try this test to see how much you know so far. You need to know 10 symbols in a row with no mistakes.
Now it's time to have your first Music Theory test. Let's see if you are learning and how much you know.