Staccato
A dot above or below a note tells you to play the note staccato. Staccato means to play a note short and separate from other notes. This is the opposite of legato. To play a note staccato, make a short "t" action with your tongue, and cut off your breath as soon as you tongue the note.
This example contains both staccato and slur marks. Note that the slur in bar 4 connects two notes rather than a group of notes.
Flats (b)
The Flat Sign
This is a flat sign.
When a flat sign is placed in front of a note, it lowers the note by an interval known as one semitone or one half step. Therefore the note Bb is one semitone lower than B. Since the difference in pitch between the notes A and B is one whole tone (two semitones or one whole step), Bb is also one semitone higher than A.
