Beginner Level: Notes on the Staff

 

The Staff

The staff is the lines you see on sheet music. There are 5 lines and 4 spaces for each clef. The treble clef and bass clef both have their own staff next to them. The staff helps you determine where a note is on the piano! The higher a note is on the staff, the farther to the right the key you need is. Each line and space on the staff is a different key on the piano. If a note moves from a line to a space or vice versa, it is a step on the keys (think two white keys back-to-back). 

This is only focusing on white keys for now. The black keys I will save for another lesson! If a note moves from a line to a different line directly above or below it, this is a skip. Think one white key, then skipping exactly one white key. The same applies for two space notes. This is so, because you are skipping a line or a space. 

The best way to think about it is this: Each line or space on the staff represents a different white a key on the piano.

Components of the Staff

There are a few things to know about the staff in addition to just what it is. The brace (shown in the above picture) is what connects everything. It's really only there to make things look neat and tidy. It's not always there, but you will see the brace a lot of times. The repeat sign shown to the right of treble clef staff is there when the song repeats itself. If you ever see a repeat sign at the end of a line of music, you play that exact line over again from the beginning. The middle C shown above is a note that both clefs share. When you see those "cat whiskers" at the center of both clefs, it will always be middle C no matter what clef you're in. Don't forget to watch what hand needs to play that middle C though! What hand plays that note does change from song to song for various reasons. 

I always tell my student that the middle C is identified by its "cat whiskers" because cat starts with C and that middle note always kind of looked like a cat to me, especially when it's a whole note! Middle C is exactly what the name implies... the C closest to the middle of the piano! 

Treble Clef Notes and How to Memorize Them

When reading notes on the staff, we typically go from the bottom up because that's from left to right on the piano (Like reading a book!).

 For the treble clef spaces, it spells FACE from the bottom up. If you see a note in that first space, it's an F that is closest to the treble clef. If you see a note that is in the second space, it's an A (skip one key to the right from your F and you're there) and so on. 

For the treble clef line notes, it doesn't really spell anything, but we do have a saying that makes it easier to remember: Every Good Boy Does Fine (on a line) or E G B D F also from the bottom up. 

At this point you can start to notice and see how each line and space is just one white key at a time in the order of the musical alphabet.

The Musical Alphabet: The alphabet in music goes from A to G and starts over back to A after the G.

A B C D E F G A B etc.

Bass Clef Notes and How to Memorize Them

For the bass clef spaces, the saying goes: All Cows Eat Grass or A C E G. For the bass clef lines, the saying goes: Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always or G B D F A. I learned the bass clef line notes in a slightly different way. The saying I was taught was Good Boys Do Fine Always. I have had several people tell me that they find it easier to learn the bass clef lines by using the phrase with "fudge" in it because the treble clef and bass clef line sayings are so similar. So, use whichever you find easier. It works both ways! 

One More Thing...

If you noticed that in the treble clef there are two F and E notes and in the bass clef there are two A notes and were confused... here's your explanation!

As I said at the beginning of this lesson, each line and space is a different white key on the piano. The higher you get on the staff the higher (or more to the right) the key is on the piano. Same goes for the lower notes. The lower a note is on the staff the lower (or more to the left) a key is on the piano. 

So, that first F, the F in FACE, on treble clef staff is closest to the middle C. The other F that is above that first F is the next F key above it. It's higher! The same idea applies to the two bass clef A's. 

I hope you enjoyed this lesson and found it helpful. Remember to practice!