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What does this notation in the treble clef mean?

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marked as duplicate by guidot, Richard, Carl Witthoft, Dave, MattPutnam Jan 23 '18 at 17:38

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This is the symbol for a "turn" (the swirl, that is). Here's how I would play it:

notes to play the turn

The turn is positioned over the second half of the note; the "star" is not a star, but a double-sharp symbol, meaning that the "below" note of the turn (G) is a G-double-sharp.

(It usually helps if you name the piece: this is no. 4 in E minor from Chopin's preludes.)

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    And to add to this: 4312 is the intended fingering for the swirl. (The swirl itself, as a conventional ornament, is not written out in full, but the fingering is added by the editors, who have chosen to write it out as it is rather non-obvious.) – PLL Jan 23 '18 at 8:15
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    The actual name for this symbol is called a “gruppetto”. – jjmusicnotes Jan 23 '18 at 11:05
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    @jjmusicnotes: I don't think "actual name" is appropriate; "gruppetto" is the Italian term, but in English, it is normally referred to as a "turn". See for example Gardner Read, Music Notation, p. 246 – Brian Chandler Jan 23 '18 at 14:33

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