The Rudiments of Music
The musical alphabet consists of 7 letters: A B C D E F G
Music is written on a staff, which consists of 5 parallel lines between which there are 4 spaces.
Music Staff
The treble or "G" clef is placed at the beginning of each staff line.
Treble or 'G' clef
This clef indicates the position of the note G. It is an old fashioned method of writing the letter G, with the center of the clef being written on the second staff line.
G note
The other lines and spaces on the staff are named as such:
Extra notes can be added by the use of short lines, called ledger lines.
When a note is placed on the staff its head indicates its position, e.g.:
This is a G note
This is a C note
When the note head is below the middle staff line the stem points upward and when the head is above the middle line the stem points downward. A note placed on the middle line (B) can have its stem pointing either up or down.
Bar lines are drawn across the staff, which divides the music into sections called bars or measures. A final bar line signifies the end of the music.
