Music Reading and Solfege

The Treble Clef and Staff#

Reading music is like learning a new language — once you know the symbols, a whole world of written music opens up to you. The foundation of written music is the staff and the clef.

The Staff#

The staff (or stave) is the five horizontal lines on which music is written. Notes are placed on the lines and in the spaces between them. Each position on the staff represents a different pitch — notes on higher lines and spaces are higher in pitch; notes on lower lines and spaces are lower in pitch.

The five lines of a staff create four spaces:

• Lines: 5 horizontal lines (numbered 1 to 5 from bottom to top)
• Spaces: 4 spaces between the lines (numbered 1 to 4 from bottom to top)
• Notes can also extend above or below the staff using short extra lines called ledger lines

The Treble Clef#

The treble clef (also called the G clef) is the curling symbol placed at the beginning of every staff in treble music. It tells you that the second line from the bottom is the note G (hence the name 'G clef' — the curl wraps around that G line).

The treble clef is used for:

• Higher-pitched instruments (flute, violin, recorder, trumpet)
• The right hand of piano music
• Soprano and alto voice parts
• Most melody instruments in elementary school

Notes on the Lines: Every Good Boy Dös Fine#

The five lines of the treble clef staff (bottom to top) hold these notes:

• Line 1 (bottom): E
• Line 2: G
• Line 3: B
• Line 4: D
• Line 5 (top): F

Memory trick: Every Good Boy Dös Fine

Notes in the Spaces: FACE#

The four spaces of the treble clef staff (bottom to top) hold these notes:

• Space 1 (bottom): F
• Space 2: A
• Space 3: C
• Space 4 (top): E

Memory trick: The spaces spell FACE — an easy one to remember!

The Musical Alphabet#

Music uses only seven letter names: A, B, C, D, E, F, G — then they repeat. After G comes A again, just higher in pitch. This repetition occurs at the octave — the note with the same name that is 8 steps higher.