NOTATION: STAFF AND TONIC SOLFA

CONTENT

1. Meaning of Staff
2. Notation: Lines and Spaces
3. Staff and Tonic Sol-fa: Tonic Sol-fa, Treble and Bass Clefs, Melody in C Major

Meaning of Staff

The staff is the basis of written music. It is what the notes are presented on. It consists of 5 lines with 4 spaces between them. The staff on the other hand is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that each represents a different musical pitch

A simple, unadorned staff is shown below.

Treble Clef

The Treble Staff

Since it curls around the G line, it is also called a G clef. The treble staff begins with the first line as E. Each successive space and line is the next letter in the musical alphabet. The staff ends with the last line as an F.

One of the most common phrases used to remember the names of the lines is: Every Good Boy Does Fine.