Composers use a combination of words and symbols to indicate when to repeat, skip, and move among sections of a piece of music. The various symbols and words used to convey these directions appear within or just above the staff.
Repeat Symbols
Standard notation includes several repeat symbols that direct musicians to repeat either a single measure, two previous measures, or a section bound by two repeat signs; or to repeat the entire piece from the beginning. Repeat symbols are placed directly into the staff, as shown in the following diagram:
Coda, Fine, and Segno Symbols
Coda, fine, and segno symbols mark points in a piece of music to which the musician should return after playing the entire piece. The three most common navigational instructions that include these symbols are D.C. al coda, D.S. al coda, D.C. al fine, and Dal segno al fine.
- Da capo al coda (D.C. al coda): Play the entire piece, return to the beginning, play to where the words “to coda” appear above the staff, then jump to the coda symbol and play from there to finish the piece.
- Dal segno a coda (D.S. al coda): Play the entire piece, go back to the segno symbol, play to where the words “to coda” appear above the staff, then jump to the coda symbol and play from there to finish the piece.
- Dal capo al fine (D.C. al fine): Play the entire piece, return to the beginning, and play up to the fine symbol.
- Dal segno a fine: Play the entire piece, return to the segno symbol, then play from there to the fine symbol.