Reading music

The staff

Music is written on five lines called the staff. Notes sit on the lines or in the spaces between them. Higher on the staff means a higher sound.

The fancy symbol at the start is a treble clef. Saxophones read treble clef.

The notes on the lines, from the bottom up, are E, G, B, D, F. A saying to remember them: Every Good Boy Does Fine.

The spaces

The notes in the spaces, from the bottom up, spell a word: F, A, C, E. FACE.

How long does a note last?

Beats and measures

Music has a steady pulse called the beat. Think of tapping your foot.

Beats are grouped into measures, separated by vertical lines called bar lines. The two numbers at the start tell you how: 4/4 means four beats in every measure, and a quarter note gets one beat.

A rest is a silence that lasts as long as its note would. Rests are music too. Count through them.

1. Count out loud

   Count “1, 2, 3, 4” in a steady beat. Clap on 1 only. Then clap on every beat.

2. Clap the pattern

   Clap: quarter, quarter, half. That is “1, 2, 3 – 4.” Clap it with Hot Cross Buns from the last lesson.

3. Add a rest

   Clap on 1 and 3 only. Say “rest” quietly on 2 and 4.

Can you…

• Say the line notes: E G B D F
• Say the space notes: F A C E
• Tell a half note from a quarter note
• Clap and count a measure of 4/4