Understanding theory
The different staves
The clef dictates which stave is which
S
taves (or staffs) are some of the most
important parts of musical notation –
without them we wouldn’t have anywhere
on which to put the notes we need to
play! Staves consist of five horizontal lines with four
spaces, with a clef on the left-hand side. Although
there are several different clefs throughout the world
of music, as pianists we only need to concentrate on
the treble clef and bass clef.
Usually, the treble clef and the stave that it sits
on dictate the notes that will need to be played
by the right hand, while the bass clef tells you the
notes that the left hand should play. However,
pianists need to play both right and left-hand partsat the same time, so both treble and bass are joined
together by a brace (the curly bracket to the left of
the beginning of the staves) to create a grand (or
great) stave – the treble stave on top, the bass stave
on the bottom. Although many exercises will feature
just the single stave, actual piano music will nearly
always be written on the grand stave.While the top stave will almost always have its
notes played by the right hand and the bottom
stave the left, it is not uncommon for both staves in
a grand stave to carry the same clef. If a composer
wants a passage of music with both hands playing
high up the keyboard then it’s a lot easier to write
the music for two treble staves.Introducing
the staves
The five horizontal lines that enable us to read music
“Although there are several different clefs, as
pianists we only need to concentrate on the
treble clef and bass clef”
The bass clef stave
This clef marks the lower of the two staves on the grand stave, and its notes
will often be played by the left hand. It’s also known as the F-clef, as the two
dots next to the curve are bisected by the note F on the bass stave. Popular
instruments whose notation is commonly written on this stave include the cello,
double bass and trombone. Note that it’s possible for a right-hand stave to carry
the bass clef should the music dictate it.The treble stave
The treble clef stave will usually be the upper of the two staves in a grand stave,
and the notes on the treble stave will likely need to be played by the right hand.
The treble clef is also known as a G-clef as the curl of the clef passes through the
note G on the treble stave – if you’re drawing one, this curl is the best place to
start from! The clef is also used by several other popular instruments, including
the violin, flute and recorder.The grand stave
Both the treble stave and bass stave combine to create the grand or great stave- the stave used for almost all Western piano notation. You can tell if the two
staves are a grand stave by the curly braces to the left of the stave. This signifies
both parts must be played simultaneously. The piano isn’t the only instrument
that uses a grand stave. Although many aren’t diverse enough to necessitate
both staves, instruments such as the harp, marimba and celesta use it.