Learning Musical Instruments: February 2009

Lesson 2: Playing Melodies

This lesson is only for those who cannot read the notes on the vocal lines of songs. If you can read those notes, skip this lesson and go right to the next.

Lesson 2.1: The Notes on the Staff

Vocal lines of songs are almost always written in the treble clef, sometimes called the G clef looks like this:

(Piano parts for the right hand are also usually written in this clef because the right hand plays higher notes than the left hand, and the treble clef conveniently designates the notes produced by the upper half of the keyboard.)

Clefs are the first symbols to appear on the musical staff, the staff being name for the five line and four spaces on which notes are written. The names for the notes that fill the spaces of the treble clef's staff spell the word "face":

The names for the notes on the lines result in an unpronounceable acronym, so various phrases have been used to serve as reminders. Every Good Boy Does Fine is the one I grew up with, and so I recommend it to you. You won't have to think about that phrase every time you see a note on a line because recognition will soon become automatic.

As you can see, the first space on the staff represents the note F. Which F? The keyboard has seven F's but the first space on the treble clef stands for the first F above middle C.

For the diagram above, you can see how the printed notes on the lines and spaces follow the piano keyboard. Also, the diagram shows how we can extend the lines and spaces both above and below the regular five-line staff in order to indicate notes that are higher and lower on the piano. Where we need a line we simply draw a small one, as in the case of middle C or the second A above middle C. Those extra lines are called leger lines.