Music is written on a stave (or staff): five lines and four spaces. A note's height on the stave tells you its pitch — how high or low it sounds.
Treble clef (G clef)
The treble clef curls around the second line from the bottom, fixing it as the note G. It is used for higher sounds and the right hand of the piano. Here is a C major scale climbing up the treble stave:
Reading the lines from bottom to top, the notes are E G B D F — remember "Every Good Boy Deserves Fun." The spaces spell the word F A C E.
Bass clef (F clef)
The bass clef's two dots sit either side of the fourth line, fixing it as the note F. It is used for lower sounds and the left hand of the piano.
The lines from bottom to top are G B D F A — "Good Boys Deserve Fun Always." The spaces are A C E G — "All Cows Eat Grass."
Middle C and ledger lines
Middle C lies between the two staves. When a note is too high or low to fit, we add short ledger lines to extend the stave. Middle C sits on one ledger line below the treble stave, or one ledger line above the bass stave — which is why it links them.
Remember
- Treble lines E G B D F; spaces spell FACE.
- Bass lines G B D F A; spaces A C E G.
- Middle C links the staves on a ledger line.