Musical symbols for any instrument are part of a broder musical language.

Begin with the 4/4 Time Signature on the chart below and move clockwise for the name of the term or symbol and definition.

4/4 TIME SIGNATURE 

The first 4 means 4 counts per measure and the bottom #4 indicates that a quarter note receives one beat or count within this music that follows this time signature.

FLAT

The FLAT symbol is placed immediately before any note and means to lower that note by one-half step.