Lines and Spaces Together
Put Lessons 1 and 2 together and you can read all nine notes on the bass clef staff. Going up, they follow the alphabet one step at a time: line, space, line, space.
Riddim Up · Reading music · Lesson 3
Two sayings, one staff
Lines · Lesson 2
G B D F A
Great Big Dogs Fight Animals
A line runs through the middle of the note.
Spaces · Lesson 1
A C E G
All Cows Eat Grass
The note sits between two lines.
How to read any note on the staff
- Decide first: is it on a line or in a space? This tells you which saying to use.
- Count from the bottom. Count lines for a line note, or spaces for a space note.
- Use the saying. The 3rd line is the 3rd word of "Great Big Dogs Fight Animals", which is Dogs.
- Check by stepping. From a note you know, count up or down the alphabet one letter per line or space. The 4th line (F, between the clef dots) is a good place to start.
Good to know
- The musical alphabet only uses seven letters, A to G, then starts again. That is why G and A both appear twice on the staff.
- The two G's are an octave apart: G2 on the bottom line and G3 in the top space. The same goes for A: A2 in the bottom space and A3 on the top line.
- Neighbouring notes always swap between line and space. If two notes are on lines next to each other, there is one letter between them.
- Read the letters out loud as you play. Saying the name helps your eyes and hands learn together.
Practice: all nine notes
Line or space? Then pick the letter.
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