Functional or physiologic murmurs are sounds made by the normal flow of blood through the outflow tract of the left ventricle. They are systolic, crescendo-decrescendo, and usually grade I-II/VI in intensity. As a rule, louder murmurs, diastolic murmurs, and transmitted murmurs are consistent with structural heart disease (usually valve disease).

Normal heart sounds are the first heart sound (S1) and the second heart sound (S2). S1 results from the closure of the mitral and tricuspid valves. S2 is caused by the closure of the aortic and pulmonary valves. The third heart sound, S3, is often normal in children and young adults and usually disappears in sitting and standing positions. It is pathological in adults. The fourth heart sound or atrial gallop, S4, can occasionally be heard in the normal heart but is usually pathological. Thrills are murmurs that may be so loud as to be felt by hand as a "quivering sensation" (e.g. aortic or mitral stenosis). Opening snap has a clicking quality and usually occurs after S2. It usually indicates mitral stenosis and is produced by the opening of the diseased mitral valve. Ejection click is the high-pitched clicking sound of semilunar valves and is usually heard in aortic and pulmonary stenosis.

Auscultatory areas are the aortic area, the pulmonary area, the tricuspid area, the mitral area and the base of the heart.