Reading notes: the treble and bass clef

The staff

Notes are written on a staff - five horizontal lines with four spaces between them. The higher a note sits on the staff, the higher the tone. A note's position (on a line or in a space) tells you which tone to play.

The treble clef (G clef)

At the start of the staff stands a clef, which fixes which tones the lines represent. The treble clef is used for higher tones - melody, the right hand on piano, the guitar. It is also called the G clef because its curl wraps around the line that holds the tone G.

The notes in the spaces of the treble clef, bottom to top, spell the word F-A-C-E - a handy way to remember them.

The bass clef (F clef)

The bass clef is used for lower tones - the bass, the left hand on piano. It is called the F clef because its two dots straddle the line of the tone F. Together the treble and bass clefs cover the whole range of the piano.

Ledger lines

When a tone is too high or too low to sit on the five lines, we draw short ledger lines above or below the staff. Middle C, for instance, sits on the first ledger line below the treble clef.

You can now read what to play and when. Time for the beginner's biggest step: your first chord.