Dal segno

Segno

A contrived example showing DS al FINE. Play (help·info) Use of Dal Segno eliminates the need to write out extra measures, often many more than in this example. The notes are to be played in this order: G A B B C' A B B C' C. The MIDI file plays in the order: G A B B C A B C' C.

A similar example showing DS al CODA. Play (help·info) The notes are to be played in this order: G A B B C' A B C

In music notation, dal segno (UK: /dæl ˈsɛnjoʊ/, US: /dɑːl ˈseɪnjoʊ/, Italian: [dal ˈseɲɲo]), often abbreviated as D.S., is used as a navigation marker. From Italian for "from the sign", D.S. appears in sheet music and instructs a musician to repeat a passage starting from the sign shown at right, sometimes called the segno in English.^[1]

Two common variants:

• D.S. al coda musician to go back to the sign, and when Al coda or To coda is reached jump to the coda symbol.
• D.S. al fine instructs the musician to go back to the sign, and end the piece at the measure marked fine.

The Italian term 'dal segno' literally means 'from the sign.' In most music you will see either D.S. al Fine (which means 'go back to the