Grade by Grade
A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: Musical Road Maps: Repeats, D.C., D.S. and Coda

C1.5 C1.1About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can follow repeat signs and first and second endings.
  • I can follow D.C. al Fine, D.C. al Coda, D.S. al Fine and D.S. al Coda, and recognize the segno and coda signs.
  • I can work out exactly which bars are played, in what order, and how many bars that makes.
  • I can use these signs when I write my own music, and perform music that uses them.

Words to know

repeat sign
A double bar line with two dots. Go back to the matching start-repeat sign (or to the beginning) and play the section again.
first and second endings
Brackets marked 1. and 2. Play the 1st ending the first time, then repeat; the second time, skip it and play the 2nd ending.
D.C. (da capo)
Italian for "from the head": go back to the beginning.
D.S. (dal segno)
Italian for "from the sign": go back to the segno sign.
Fine
Italian for "end" (say FEE-nay). Where the piece ends after a D.C. or D.S.
coda
Italian for "tail": a separate ending section, marked with the coda sign (a circle with a cross).
segno
Italian for "sign" (say SEN-yo): a slanted S with a line and two dots that marks where a D.S. returns to.

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 4 you found the introduction, chorus, coda and repeats in songs, and since then you've read more and more notation. In Grade 8 the curriculum asks you to understand repeat signs such as D.C. al coda, D.S. al coda and D.S. al fine in the music you perform and compose.

Composers use these signs to save space. Instead of writing the same 8 bars twice, they write them once and add a "road map" telling you where to go. Your job is to read the map before you play, so you don't get lost in the middle of a performance.

Repeat signs and endings

  • An end-repeat sign (a thin and a thick bar line with two dots in front) means go back and play again. Go back to the matching start-repeat sign (dots after the bar line), or to the beginning if there isn't one.
  • First and second endings are brackets marked 1. and 2. The first time, play the 1st ending and repeat. The second time, skip the 1st ending and jump to the 2nd ending.
A school band room with black music stands in a semicircle and a trumpet, flute and clarinet resting on chairs.
Every player in a band must follow the same road map of repeats, D.C. and D.S. signs, or the group falls apart. AI-generated image
441.2.bar 1bar 2bar 3bar 4Play order: bar 1, bar 2, bar 3 (1st ending), back to bar 1, bar 2, bar 4 (2nd ending) = 6 bars
A 4-bar melody in 4/4 with first and second endings. You play bars 1, 2, 3, then repeat bars 1 and 2, then skip to bar 4: 6 bars in all, though only 4 are written.

D.C., D.S., Fine and Coda

These Italian words send you back, then tell you where to stop or jump.

  • D.C. al Fine: go back to the beginning, play until the word Fine, and stop.
  • D.C. al Coda: go back to the beginning, play until To Coda (or the coda sign), then jump to the Coda section at the end.
  • D.S. al Fine: go back to the segno sign, play until Fine, and stop.
  • D.S. al Coda: go back to the segno sign, play until To Coda, then jump to the Coda.

Important habit: when you go back after a D.C. or D.S., most musicians skip repeats they already played, unless the music says otherwise. Ask your teacher or conductor if you're not sure.

12345678To CodaD.S. al CodaCoda (bars 7–8)at D.S. al Coda: jump back to the sign2nd time: skip to the CodaBars played: 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 3 4 5 | 7 8 = 11 bars
A road map for D.S. al Coda. Play bars 1 to 6. At D.S. al Coda, jump back to the segno (bar 3). Play bars 3, 4 and 5. At To Coda, skip to the Coda (bars 7 and 8). Total: 11 bars played from 8 written.
Worked example

Example: Let's count the bars with first and second endings

Look at the 4-bar melody with endings. How many bars do you actually play, and in what order?

  1. Play bar 1 and bar 2.
  2. Bar 3 is under the 1. bracket, so the first time, play bar 3. It ends with a repeat sign.
  3. There is no start-repeat sign, so go back to the beginning: play bar 1 and bar 2 again.
  4. The second time, skip the 1st ending (bar 3) and play the 2nd ending (bar 4).
  5. Order: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4. Count them: 6 bars.

6 bars: 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 4. In 4/4 that is 6 × 4 = 24 beats.

Worked example

Example: Let's follow a D.S. al Coda

Follow the road-map picture: 8 bars, a segno at bar 3, To Coda at the end of bar 5, D.S. al Coda at the end of bar 6, and the Coda in bars 7 and 8.

  1. First time through: play bars 1 to 6 (6 bars). The jump sign at bar 5 is ignored the first time.
  2. At the end of bar 6, D.S. al Coda means: go back to the segno, which is at bar 3.
  3. Play bars 3, 4 and 5 (3 bars).
  4. At To Coda (end of bar 5), jump to the Coda: bars 7 and 8 (2 bars).
  5. Total: 6 + 3 + 2 = 11 bars.

Order: 1 2 3 4 5 6 | 3 4 5 | 7 8 = 11 bars.

Just for fun

Funny-but-true: coda is Italian for tail. So when the music says D.S. al Coda, it's really telling you to go back to the sign and then head for the tail. 🐕 Every song with a coda is basically wagging at the end.

Hands-on activity

Map it, then play it

You need: a song you know well (for example from a method book, a songbook, or a simple tune like a folk song), paper, and a pencil. An instrument, a keyboard app or your voice.

  1. Draw the song as a row of boxes, one box per bar (or one per line if the song is long).
  2. Add a road map: put a segno at the start of the chorus, Fine at the end of the chorus, and D.S. al Fine at the end of the last verse.
  3. Draw arrows showing the order you'll play. Count the total bars.
  4. Perform it with your voice or instrument, pointing to each box as you go. Ask a family member to follow your map with their finger.
  5. Now change the map to use first and second endings instead. Does the song still make sense?

Your turn

1

What does D.C. mean, and where does it send you?

2

What does D.S. mean, and where does it send you?

3

What do you do when you reach Fine after a D.C. or D.S.?

4

A piece has 8 bars. Fine is at the end of bar 4. D.C. al Fine is at the end of bar 8. List the bars played and count them.

5

Bars 1 to 4 are inside repeat signs. Bars 5 to 8 have no repeats. How many bars are played?

6

Describe the segno and the coda signs.

7

When you go back after a D.C., do you usually play the repeats again?

More practice: warm-up

1

What does coda mean in Italian?

2

What does an end-repeat sign look like?

3

The first time through a repeat with endings, which ending do you play?

4

How do you say Fine and segno?

5

Why do composers use repeat signs and D.C./D.S. instead of writing everything out?

More practice: on your own

1

A 6-bar piece has To Coda at the end of bar 4, D.C. al Coda at the end of bar 6, and a Coda of 2 bars (bars 7–8). List the bars played and count them.

2

A 12-bar song has a segno at bar 5, Fine at the end of bar 8, and D.S. al Fine at the end of bar 12. How many bars are played?

3

A song in 3/4 has 4 bars with 1st and 2nd endings, like the picture in this lesson (bars 1, 2, 3, then 1, 2, 4). How many beats long is it?

4

What is the difference between D.C. al Fine and D.S. al Fine?

5

You are writing a song with an 8-bar intro, a verse and a chorus. You want the verse and chorus to repeat, but not the intro. Which sign would you use, and where?

Challenge

1

A 10-bar piece: bars 1–2 are an intro. A segno is at bar 3. Bars 3–6 are inside repeat signs. To Coda is at the end of bar 8. D.S. al Coda is at the end of bar 9. The Coda is bar 10. Skip repeats after the D.S. List the bars and count them.

2

A conductor says, "Take the repeat on the D.C." What changes in the previous question if the piece used D.C. instead of D.S.? Count again (take the repeat this time).

3

Write your own road map for a song with a 4-bar verse (bars 1–4) and a 4-bar chorus (bars 5–8), so that the order played is: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus. Use signs from this lesson.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

D.C. tells you to go back to ___.

2.

Fine means ___.

3.

The segno looks like ___.

4.

A piece has 8 bars, Fine after bar 4 and D.C. al Fine after bar 8. How many bars are played?

5.

With 1st and 2nd endings, the second time through you ___.

6.

D.S. al Coda means go back to the sign, then ___.

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students demonstrate an understanding of standard musical notation through performance and composition (C1.5), including repeat signs and road-map terms such as D.C. al coda, D.S. al coda and D.S. al fine, and perform music that uses them (C1.1).

How to help at home:

  • Look at any sheet music in the house (piano books, songbooks, band music) and hunt for repeat signs, endings, D.C. and D.S. together.
  • Play "road map": your child draws bar boxes and arrows, and you follow with your finger while they sing or play.
  • Ask "How many bars is that altogether?" This is exactly the kind of question in the curriculum.

Common difficulties:

  • Taking repeats again after a D.C. or D.S. The usual habit is to skip them unless told otherwise.
  • Ignoring 'To Coda' the first time. That's correct! The jump is only taken after the D.C. or D.S.
  • Mixing up the segno and coda signs. Segno = S (sign); coda = circle with a cross (tail).

Note on the last Challenge question: several different road maps are correct. Check that the order played is verse, chorus, verse, chorus, chorus.