The Staff

Pitch

A piano has 88 notes, represented by white and black keys.
The notes sound higher as we move to the right, and lower as we move to the left.

Staff

The Staff consists of 5 lines.

Notes are drawn on the lines and between the lines.

We go up in pitch as we move up on the staff:

It is useful to think in terms of Lines and Spaces.

• Lines: 5 notes
• Spaces: 4 notes

Ledger Lines

Ledger lines are an extension of the staff, used when we need to play notes that are higher or lower than the 5 lines of the staff.
Note: Notes are drawn on and above/under ledger lines.