Let’s talk about the staff.
When we talk about the basics of music, it doesn’t get more basic than the staff! This is where it all begins. This is the place where music lives, much like words live on a page. When you can read a staff, good things can begin!
The Staff
The written staff is made up of a series of lines and spaces evenly stacked on each other. It looks like this:
Ledger Lines
When you look at a written staff, you see 5 lines and 4 spaces. This is what we use to write notes and rhythms. Now, the staff can go higher and lower than the 5 lines that are on the page, but only when notes sit on them. These are called ledger lines. You can have as many ledger lines as you need but remember, you will only see them when notes are actually sitting on them!
Measures
The staff is broken down in even parts called measures. Measures divide the staff into even parts in which we write music. Measures make sure that you can read the staff cleanly and that the music you are reading is divided up into the correct number of beats. The lines that divide up the staff into measures are called barlines.
Here is an example of barlines dividing a staff into 3 measures:
Double barline
At the end of a staff, you will find a double barline telling you that it is the end of the piece. It looks like a skinny barline next to a thick one.
Remember, the staff is home to a lot of things. Notes, rests, time and key signatures, and clefs are all things that can sit on a staff. Don't worry if you don't know all of those things yet, we will get to that. Just remember, all things musical begin on the staff!
