The staff and the clefs
Music is written on a staff of five lines. Notes sit on the lines or in the spaces between them; the higher the note on the staff, the higher it sounds.
The clef at the start tells you which note is which. The treble clef (G clef) curls around the second line from the bottom, which is G. The bass clef (F clef) puts its two dots around the fourth line, which is F.
Note names
- Treble clef lines from bottom to top: E G B D F (“Every Good Boy Does Fine”). Spaces: F A C E.
- Bass clef lines: G B D F A (“Good Boys Do Fine Always”). Spaces: A C E G (“All Cows Eat Grass”).
- Notes above or below the staff use short extra lines called ledger lines. Middle C sits on one ledger line between the two clefs.
Sharps, flats and naturals
A sharp (♯) raises a note by a half step, a flat (♭) lowers it, and a natural (♮) cancels either. An accidental lasts until the end of the bar.
How long each note lasts
- Whole note (open head, no stem): 4 beats.
- Half note (open head with a stem): 2 beats.
- Quarter note (filled head with a stem): 1 beat.
- Eighth note (with a flag or a beam): half a beat.
- A dot after a note adds half of its value again.
How to get fluent
- Practice a few minutes daily rather than for hours once a week.
- Learn landmark notes first, then read others as steps and skips from them.
- Read on your instrument with the sight-reading tool, and clap rhythms with the rhythm trainer.