Tool to decrypt/encrypt a music sheet paper notation. Each item/notes/symbol of a music sheet can be associated with a letter or a digit.
Music Sheet Cipher - dCode
Tag(s) : Symbol Substitution, Music
dCode is free and its tools are a valuable help in games, maths, geocaching, puzzles and problems to solve every day!
A suggestion ? a feedback ? a bug ? an idea ? Write to dCode!
Music Sheet Cipher
Music Sheets Decoder
Partition Encoder
Answers to Questions (FAQ)
What is the music sheet cipher? (Definition)
A music sheet cipher is a substitution of letters (or numbers) by notes represented on a musical sheet/score.
How to encrypt using a music sheet?
Encryption with musical sheet is not perfectly defined, and there are multiple ways to encode letters and numbers with these note symbols.
The best known and most instinctive version is to use 2 octaves, or 2 times 7 notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and again C, D, E, F, G, A, B) so 14 symbols.
To write letters, 26 symbols are needed, so why not use different notes, like quarter notes (for the first 14 letters) and eighth notes (for the next 12 letters).
Also, why not use the first 10 rounds for the numbers 0 to 9.
Example: With the alphabet composed of the 14 quarter notes then the first 12 eighth notes, i.e. the quarter notes C1 = A, D1 = B, … B1 = G, C2 = H, up to G2 = N then eighth notes C1 = O, etc. until F2 = Z. The DCODE message becomes .png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
(the treble clef is optional)
Other variations are possible, see below.
How to decrypt using a music sheet cipher?
Deciphering a musical score consists of substituting notes for characters according to an alphabet or other predefined correspondence.
How to recognize a music ciphertext?
The message is composed of simple notes, without any real musical value.
The notation used does not necessarily matter, nor do the instruments or the sound produced.
The sheet music can be printed without a key or any other detail needed by a musician.
What are the possible variants?
The most instinctive variations are those which use 2 octaves and 2 types of notes.
It is possible to use eighth notes then quarter notes, or quarter notes then eighth notes, or quarter notes and half notes, or half notes and whole notes.
It is also possible to start the alphabet lower down on the score, such as starting with the A note.
If necessary, the remaining notes can represent numbers or distinguish lower/upper case letters.
Source code
dCode retains ownership of the "Music Sheet Cipher" source code. Any algorithm for the "Music Sheet Cipher" algorithm, applet or snippet or script (converter, solver, encryption / decryption, encoding / decoding, ciphering / deciphering, breaker, translator), or any "Music Sheet Cipher" functions (calculate, convert, solve, decrypt / encrypt, decipher / cipher, decode / encode, translate) written in any informatic language (Python, Java, PHP, C#, Javascript, Matlab, etc.) or any database download or API access for "Music Sheet Cipher" or any other element are not public (except explicit open source licence like Creative Commons). Same with the download for offline use on PC, mobile, tablet, iPhone or Android app.
Reminder: dCode is an educational and teaching resource, accessible online for free and for everyone.
Cite dCode
The content of the page "Music Sheet Cipher" and its results may be freely copied and reused, including for commercial purposes, provided that dCode.fr is cited as the source.
Exporting the results is free and can be done simply by clicking on the export icons ⤓ (.csv or .txt format) or ⧉ (copy and paste).
To cite dCode.fr on another website, use the link:
In a scientific article or book, the recommended bibliographic citation is: Music Sheet Cipher on dCode.fr [online website], retrieved on 2025-05-01,
