MUSIC THEORY - The Staff or Stave.

Hello my friends! I hope you have enjoyed the music articles that were posted last month. I know these articles have helped a number of persons who got the chance to read them. Remember, the articles posted on this blog site are there to help you in your musical development.

Today we will be looking at a very important musical diagram called the Staff. Another name for the Staff is the Stave. But before we go into further discussion let us review what we've discussed in the last theory lesson posted on March 14, 2011. The last music lesson was about "musical notes and rest". Notes are symbols that represent the sound in music, while the rest symbols are used to represent the silence used in music.
Click on the diagram below, it should refresh your memory.
 (If you have not read that article as yet please do so)

THE STAFF OR STAVE

The staff is one of the most important diagram in music. Musical notes and rest among other symbols are represented on the the staff. The staff or stave has five lines and four spaces. Look at the diagram below for a clearer understanding.

The staff is read from bottom to top. The letters of the musical alphabet (A B C D E F G) are located on the lines and spaces of the staff but are not active until a "Clef Sign" is place at the beginning of the staff. The main clef signs that are place on the staff are the "Bass Clef" and the "Treble Clef".

The Treble Clef on the Staff

The Bass Clef on the Staff

When both clef signs are present on the staff the lines and spaces are represented by a specific letter from the musical alphabet.

The Treble clef represents high pitch notes and Bass clef represents low pitch notes. The staff is named based on the clef sign that is used. For example:

When the staff has the treble clef on it the entire staff is called the "Treble Staff".
When the staff has the bass clef on it the entire staff is called the "Bass Staff".

The lines and spaces on the staff are there to determine the pitch of a particular note. Treble staff is used to write music for instruments such as the recorder, alto and soprano saxophone, flutes and piccolo. The Bass staff is used to write music for instruments such as the bass guitar, trombone, tuba, baritone and sousaphone. Instruments such as piano, organ and harp uses both the treble and bass staff.

I hope todays lesson was useful. Our next theory lessson will be focused on the Treble and Bass staff.
!!!Enjoy Your Day!!!
!!!Practice Hard!!!