How to Read Music
The Staff or Stave
There are five lines used in music notation called the staff or stave. Music notes are written in the spaces and on the lines of the staff.
Treble Clef
This symbol is called a treble clef.
Treble Staff
A staff with a treble clef written on it is called a treble staff.
Bass Clef
This symbol is called a bass clef.
Bass Staff
A staff with a bass clef written on it is called a bass staff.
High notes are written on the treble staff, and are usually played with your right hand. Low notes are written on the bass staff, and are usually played with your left hand.
The Grand Staff
When the treble and bass staves are joined together by a line and a bracket, they are called a grand staff. Piano music is written on the grand staff. Notes written on the treble clef are played on the right hand side of keyboard while notes written on the bass clef are played on the left hand side of the keyboard.
Notes on the Grand Staff
Piano music notes are written in the spaces and on the lines of the grand staff.
- To remember the notes on the lines of the treble staff, say Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit
- The notes in the spaces of the treble staff spell the word FACE
- To remember the notes on the lines of the bass staff, say Good Boys Deserve Fruit Always
- To remember the notes in the spaces of the bass staff, say All Cows Eat Grass
The Quarter Note
This is a musical note called a quarter note. A quarter note lasts for one beat.
Music is divided into bars (sometimes called measures) by bar lines. In this example there are two bars of music.
The Four Four Time Signature
The two pairs of numbers after the clefs are called the time signature. This is called the four four time signature. It tells you there are four beats in each bar. There are four quarter notes in a bar of * time.
Note and Rest Values
Here are some other notes commonly found in music notation, along with their corresponding rest values. There are many other types of time signatures, note and rest values used in music that you will learn as you progress.
