Music Staff and Treble Clef
Primary 4 · Creative Arts
Music Staff and Treble Clef
Lesson 2 of 5
20 min
Let's begin
Mugisha hums a lovely tune on Monday. By Friday he has forgotten it! "If only I could write music down like I write words," he says. Musicians found a way to do that hundreds of years ago.
Music is written on a staff (also called a stave). A staff is five straight lines across the page. Between the lines there are four spaces.
We always count the lines and spaces from the bottom up:
A note can sit on a line (the line goes through the middle of the note) or in a space (the note sits between two lines).
The staff works like a ladder: the higher a note is on the staff, the higher it sounds. A note on line 5 sounds higher than a note on line 1.
Sometimes a note is a little too high or too low for the five lines. Then we draw a short extra line just for that note. It is called a ledger line. You will meet one soon, under a very important note called middle C.
Tip
Your hand is a staff! Hold your hand sideways with your fingers spread. Your five fingers are the five lines, and the gaps between them are the four spaces. Count from your little finger (the bottom) up.
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
How many lines does a staff have?
Answer: 5 lines.
How many spaces are between the lines?
Answer: 4 spaces.
From which end do we count the lines?
Answer: From the bottom up.
A note is on line 4 and another is on line 2. Which one sounds higher?
Answer: The note on line 4, because it is higher on the staff.
What is a ledger line?
Answer: A short extra line for a note that is too high or too low for the staff.
What you learned today
Sources and credits
The story, the staff drawing and the practice questions were written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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