Notes & Clefs:
The table below displays the different types of notes
and clefs. All definitions are located at the end of the
page.
Treble Clef:
When reading sheet music, you will notice that there is
a treble clef at the top left hand corner of your music
book. The notes along side the treble clef are usually
played with your right hand. There are 5 lines and 4
spaces beneath the treble clef, each of these lines and
spaces represents a note on the piano. It is important
to learn them off by heart. These notes are located to
the right of middle C.
Treble Clef Lines - E, G, B, D, F (Eat Good Bread
Dear Father)
Treble Clef Spaces - F, A, C, E (Face).
Bass Clef:
Beneath the treble clef on sheet music, you will see a
second set of lines and spaces with the Bass Clef symbol
on the left. This is to make it easier to read. The Bass
Clef notes are usually played with your left hand, and
are lower in tone than the notes with the Treble Clef.
To locate these notes, go one octave down (the next C to
the left of middle C), and locate the notes to the right
of that note.
Bass Clef Lines - G, B, D, F, A (Good, Bread, Dear,
Father, Ate)
Bass Clef Spaces - A, C, E, G, (Alice, Can, Eat,
Grapes).
Musicians must learn how to count evenly, to make sure
they are playing each note for the correct length of
time.
Tip: To begin you may prefer to write the
corresponding notes on your sheet music to help.
Music Terms / Definitions for this page:
Staff: A staff of music is made up of five horizontal
lines and four spaces. Each line and space represents a
key on the piano. Notes and rests are then placed on the
staff.
Clef: A clef is a symbol at the beginning of a staff of
music which makes it possible for the player to work out
what the notes are. It indicates the pitch of the notes
on that staff to be played. The two most common clefs
are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef.
Measure: Sheet music is divided into Measures. Each
individual Measure lasts for the same time duration, and
can consist of a combination of notes and rests. A
measure ends where a vertical bar line goes through the
staff (horizontal lines) on sheet music.
Note: A note is represented by a sign which tells the
musician the duration and pitch of a sound.
Pitch: The specific frequency of a sound. Notes
to the right of the keyboard have a higher pitch than
the notes to the left.
Time Signature: The time signature, also known as a
“meter”, tells the musician how many notes are in a
measure.
Beat: A beat is the name for a unit of music. Musicians
learn to count beats, and play notes for the specified
number of beats. Some use a metronome, this device
counts out beats, and will tick according to which
timing you have set. Counting beats starts when the
first note is played.
- How To Read Music Notes »
- Parts 1 &
3.
-
Learn to Play Piano »
How to quickly print these notes and guidelines:
Use your mouse to highlight all of text that you
want to print out. Then copy/paste that text into
a text-only editor on your computer. For example,
Notepad, a common text editor included with all versions
of Microsoft Windows, and found in Start, All Programs,
Accessories. Then click on "File" in the top left corner
of the Notepad document, and click on "Print". |
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