Other notations: chord symbols, tab, drum notation and graphic scores

A chord symbol names a chord with letters, written above the melody or on its own:
C means a C major chord. Cm means C minor. C7 means a C seventh chord (C E G B flat).
A lead sheet shows the melody in staff notation with chord symbols above it; jazz and pop musicians often play from one.
A chord chart (or chord grid) shows only the chords, bar by bar, for example | C | Am | F | G |.
Tonic sol-fa (doh, ray, me, fah, soh, lah, te, doh) names notes by their position in the scale, so it works in any key.

Tablature (tab) shows guitarists where to put their fingers. Standard guitar tab has six lines, one for each string.
The bottom line is the lowest-pitched string (low E) and the top line is the highest (high E).
A number on a line tells you which fret to press; 0 means play the string open (no fret pressed).
Tab usually shows pitch but not rhythm, so players often listen to a recording as well.
Drum notation uses a five-line stave with a percussion clef (two short vertical lines). Each line or space stands for a different drum or cymbal. Cymbals and the hi-hat are usually written with x-shaped note heads.

A rhythm grid is a row of boxes, one box for each beat or part of a beat. A mark in a box means play; an empty box means rest. Grids are useful for samba, African drumming and DAW drum patterns.
A graphic score uses pictures, shapes, lines and colours instead of, or as well as, standard notation. Performers interpret the symbols, so each performance can be different.
In the 20th century some composers wrote graphic scores, such as Cathy Berberian's Stripsody (1966), which uses comic-strip drawings and sound words.