Piano for Beginners 6th ED - 2016 UK

On the keyboard

See how notes on ledger lines translate to notes on your piano

Octave clefs Signs you’ll see to keep things simple

Too many ledger lines can get

confusing, so if the music calls for

notes that are very high or very

low in pitch, the composer can use

different clefs to help. If you see

the number 8 above a treble clef or

below a bass clef, this means that

the notes must be played an octave

higher or lower respectively. If the

notes need to be really high or low, a

‘15’ can be used above or below the

clefs. Our two examples actually tell

the pianist to play the same notes,

despite the different places on the

staves. On the ‘15’ example, the C

notes are in Middle C’s position on

the stave, but is actually the C two

octaves higher and lower.

Down low

This note with two ledger lines

is in fact C. Going from left to

right along the keyboard, it’s

the second C you’ll see – two

octaves below Middle C

Middle C – bass clef

The most important note on

the keyboard can be notated

on both staves. On the bass

stave Middle C is positioned

one ledger line above the stave

Middle C – treble clef

One ledger line below the

treble stave is where Middle

C can be found too. When it

appears here it is usually played

by the right hand

Up high

You will often see ledger lines

above the treble clef stave. This

note is A (the second A above

Middle C) and it rests on the

first ledger line above the stave

Top tip

Which hand

to use?

If you see Middle C on a

ledger line below the treble

stave, play it on the piano

with your right hand. If it

has a ledger line above the

bass stave, play with

your left hand.