Music Staff Fundamentals

  • The staff consists of five horizontal lines and four spaces, providing a framework to notate pitch
  • Each line and space represents a specific musical note
  • The higher a note appears on the staff, the higher its pitch
  • Additional short lines called ledger lines extend the staff above and below when needed

Treble Clef (G Clef)

The treble clef is commonly used for higher-pitched instruments and voices, such as violin, the right hand on a piano, the flute, guitar, and soprano voices.

Treble Clef Key Points

  • Curls around the G line (second line from bottom)
  • Used for higher-pitched instruments and piano right hand

Memory Helpers

Line Notes (bottom to top):

E - G - B - D - F
("Every Good Boy Does Fine")

Space Notes (bottom to top):

F - A - C - E
("FACE")

Bass Clef (F Clef)

The bass clef is used for lower-pitched instruments and voices, such as cello, trombone, bass guitar, and baritone voices.

Bass Clef Key Points

  • Has two dots that surround the F line (fourth line from bottom)
  • Used for lower-pitched instruments and piano left hand

Memory Helpers

Line Notes (bottom to top):

G - B - D - F - A
("Good Boys Do Fine Always")

Space Notes (bottom to top):

A - C - E - G
("All Cows Eat Grass")

Understanding Time Signatures

Time signatures are notated at the beginning of a piece of music as two numbers, one above the other.

The Top Number = beats are in a measure.
The Bottom Number = what note value receives one beat.

Most Common Time Signatures

The Grand Staff

  • Combines treble and bass clefs with a brace on the left
  • Middle C sits between the two staves on a ledger line
  • Used primarily for piano, harp, and other instruments with wide range