Beginner
Staff and clefs
Where notes are written and how to tell which is which.
Learn
1.The staff
The staff has 5 lines and 4 spaces. They are counted from the bottom up: line 1 is the lowest.
The higher a note sits, the higher it sounds. Each line or space is the next note.
L = line, S = space, counting from the bottom. Hear it rise.
2.Treble clef (G clef)
The treble clef curls around line 2: that line is G. Every other note is counted from there.
Lines: E, G, B, D, F (“Every Good Boy Does Fine”). Spaces: F, A, C, E (“FACE”).
Sopranos, altos and tenors read it. Tenors use the version with an 8 below: it sounds an octave lower than written.
The line notes in treble clef.
3.Bass clef (F clef)
The bass clef has two dots around line 4: that line is F (the F below middle C).
Lines: G, B, D, F, A. Spaces: A, C, E, G. Baritones, basses and the piano’s left hand read it.
4.C clef
The C clef marks where middle C is. In the alto clef (used by the viola) middle C sits right on the middle line.
It is the same pitch as the C on a ledger line below the treble staff, or above the bass staff.
5.Ledger lines
When a note doesn’t fit on the staff, short ledger lines are added above or below. Read them the same way: line, space, line…
Practice
Exercise 1 of 5 · Pick one