Staff Notation (Junior Cert Music): Revision Notes

Staff Notation

What is the Stave?

• The stave is a set of five horizontal lines with four spaces in between.

• These lines and spaces are used in music notation to show different pitches (high and low sounds).

  

• Notes are placed on the lines or in the spaces of the stave.

• Each line and space represents a different pitch.

• We read music from left to right on the stave, which shows the order of notes over time.

• Notes placed higher up on the stave sound higher in pitch, while notes lower down sound lower in pitch.

How Do Notes Sit on the Stave?

• Notes on a line – The note head sits on a line, and the line passes through the centre of the note.
• Notes in a space – The note head sits between two lines without crossing them.

The Treble Clef (G Clef)

• A clef is a symbol at the start of a stave that tells musicians where to find specific pitches.
• The treble clef (𝄞) is the most common clef.
• It is also known as the G clef because it spirals around the second line of the stave, which shows the pitch G.

• Notes placed on the stave take their names from the musical alphabet.
• There are seven letters in the musical alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, G.
• In the treble clef (𝄞), these pitches are arranged in a specific order on the lines and spaces of the stave:
  • The five lines (from bottom to top): E - G - B - D - F (Remember: "Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit")
  • The four spaces (from bottom to top): F - A - C - E (Spells "FACE")

The Double Barline

• A double barline is two vertical lines at the end of a piece of music.

• The second line is thicker and marks the end of the piece.

  

• Other double barlines may appear during a piece to show a new section or key change.