You now know the keys of the piano. But there is more to learn.

The Grand staff, made up of the treble clef and the bass (pronounced base) clef. Treble clef usually has the melody or tune of a song written on it. The bass clef has the notes or chords that give the melody support or substance.

There are five lines and four spaces on each staff. Each line and space has a letter name that corresponds to a particular note or key on the piano. Each note can only be played one place. When those places are learned, they will NEVER change around. That is reassuring.

The treble clef is also known as a G clef because it looks like a fancy G. The treble clef circles the second line of the musical staff to tell you that it is G. All other notes fall on the other lines and spaces accordingly.

The bass clef handles the lower range of notes. It is also called an F clef because it came from an old fashion F symbol that looks like an F. The bass clef marks the fourth line of the musical staff as F. All other notes fall on the other lines and spaces accordingly.

TREBLE CLEF
ALWAYS FROM BOTTOM TO TOP
Lines are E G B D F
Spaces are F A C E

BASS CLEF
ALWAYS FROM
BOTTOM TO TOP
Lines G B D F A
Spaces A C E G

Use your fingers to help you learn them:

LEFT HAND PLAYS BASS CLEF (usually)
Pinky finger G
Ring finger B
Middle finger D
Pointer finger F
Thumb A

RIGHT HAND PLAYS TREBLE CLEF (usually)
Pinky finger E
Ring finger G
Middle finger B
Pointer finger D
Thumb F

An exercise helps you learn them: First find the G that is two Gs below Middle C. Start on Middle C, Left of C is B, left of B is A, continue left key by key G F E D C B A G. This is the G where the bass clef begins.

Pinky finger G
Ring finger B
Middle finger D
Pointer finger F
Thumb A

RIGHT HAND
Thumb E
Pointer finger G
Middle finger B
Ring finger D
Pinky finger F

Play each key with the finger indicated. If it is not possible to stretch your hand enough to do this, play each note by moving your hand to accomplish it. Smoothness is less important than the correct fingering.

Category: Lessons

The two clefs that are used when playing the piano are the treble clef and the bass clef. In music, a clef is used to define the location of notes on the staff. These symbols form the basic infrastructure of piano sheet music.

Staff

The staff is the most basic element of Western music notation. It consists of 5 horizontal lines with 4 spaces between them. These are the lines (and spaces) upon which notes are written to indicate their pitch.

The Treble Clef

The treble clef, also called the G clef, is the clef commonly used for the right-hand in piano sheet music. The word ‘treble’ means soprano, or having a high range or tone. Therefore the treble clef is usually used to express the notes about or above middle C.

When the treble clef is used, the G above middle C is located on the second line of the staff. An easy way to remember this is to notice that the treble clef symbol encircles the second line, indicating it is the G line. Any note that falls on that line will be a G.

The Bass Clef

The bass clef can be used to express notes about or below middle C. It is used for instruments that have a lower pitch, such as trombone, tuba, and bass guitar. In piano sheet music, it is used for the left hand. The bass clef is also called the F-clef. Can you guess where the F note would fall on the staff? If you guessed that the F falls on the 4th line, you would be right.

Learn To Read Music By Knowing Music Intervals

It is true! No need to languish over memorizing note names on the music staff. They are important to know but the real action happens when you learn the basic intervals on the grand staff for any musical instrument. It is fun and easy to learn the second, also notated as 2nd, and third, 3rd on the music staff with just a few short minutes of training. Watch the music interval piano videos and you will see it clearly.

Music Theory is easy to learn.

It uses just seven letters of the English alphabet. They are A – B – C- D- E – F – G. Then start all over again and again! Those are all the white keys. The black ones are the sharps and flats. We’ll discuss them a bit later.

But the black keys play a huge role in helping us locate the notes and letters on the piano. Look carefully at the black keys. What do you see?

Yes…they do have a pattern. They are in groups of two and three. This helps us find C and F. We call them landmarks. Seated in the middle at the piano or keyboard, look for the name. It will be in the center of the piano. Just below it, there will be a group of two black keys. The white key directly to the left is C. This one is called Middle C. There are other C’s to the left of two black note groupings to the right and left of middle C.

Count them. That is your first landmark.

Now…look at the group of three black keys immediately to the right of the two black keys that found Middle C. The white note immediately to the left of the three black notes is is F. No, it isn’t called Mddle F. It is just F, like all the others.

F is your second landmark. Find F up and down the piano beside each three note group.

You can now begin at the left or bottom and play every white key till you reach the top or right. Listen how the tone changes from low to high as you play. Use any finger or fingers, this is just “playing around.” (Pun intended.)

As a beginner, you will be concentrating on the notes around middle C.

The right hand will play C – D – E – F – G, with fingers 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5. Thumb is 1, pointer finger is 2, middle finger is 3, ring finger is 4, pinky finger is 5.

Do that first. Get the feel of it. Become really comfortable with it. That is your first playing warm-up exercise. Place each finger carefully and securely on each key as it is played. Speed is of no matter. You are getting to know the piano. Doing it slowly at first helps very much.

Your fingers need to be exercised, just like the muscles of your body. Athletes warm up before playing their sport and keyboard players need to warm up their fingers. There are tiny muscles and tendons in each finger that need special warm up attention.

Moving on the the left hand. Place your thumb on Middle C. Yes, Middle C does double duty for this exercise. Play C – B – A – G – F with fingers 1 – thumb, 2 – pointer finger, 3 -middle finger, 4 ring finger, 5 – pinky finger. Then return back to C.

Play each exercise three times to warm up and get comfortable with the piano. After a while, experiment with the low C’s and the high C’s. It is fun getting to hear the various high and low sounds made by the piano. If you are using a full keyboard with weighted keys, the sounds are similar, but the feeling will be a bit different.

Next time: clef signs, notes and rests!

Greetings,

DO YOU WANT TO…

… boost your brain power?

…improve your productivity?

…relax more?

Then you definitely need to learn MUSIC and PLAY PIANO!

“The Mozart Effect” is a book by Don Campbell, Copyright 1997. Tapping the Power of Music to Heal the Body, Strenghthen the Mind, and Unlock the Creative Spirit are the author’s words on the flyleaf of the book. He explains how people have received healing through listening to certain Mozart selections and cites testimonies from the individuals involved. It is an enlightening book!

While I still carry some residual effects of my 55 year battle with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), it gives me great pleasure to say that my lifelong association with music has provided relief in many forms. I am still quite active at 70 and healing more every day through listening to classical music, playing PIANO, and teaching others to play PIANO!

My life passion is helping others through teaching them to PLAY PIANO!

Bye for now,

JGKipp-Norris

FREE PIANO LESSONS

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IMPROVE YOUR MIND, BE MORE PRODUCTIVE, RELAX…

MUSIC DOES ALL OF THAT!

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