The Staff and the Musical Alphabet

• 04 Feb, 2023
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The Staff and the Musical Alphabet

One of the first things that may be taught in a lesson is the musical alphabet.  

A B C D E F G.  That’s it!  

Music uses Staff paper for their written word.  So how do you teach that?

This teaching resource explains the keyboard and the 5 lines of the Staff for the Treble Clef.  Many students who need to understand the written aspect of music need to know not only the treble clef but also the bass clef.  Many piano students learn by rhyme.  For instance, the staff consists of 5 lines with 4 spaces in between.  A rhyme for the lines notes for the treble clef (ALWAYS reading from the bottom-up) are Every, Good, Boy, Deserves, Fun.  The Bass clef Starts with: Good, Boys, Deserve, Fun, and Always.  Did you notice that the first word Each is dropped and starts with Good? Instead of learning too many rhymes, it is best to keep them simple.  

In Traditional music, most countries use the Solfege system of Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Si/Ti However, within the English and Dutch-speaking world, the pitch is identified with A B C D E F G.

At the end of the 12th Century a Benedictine monk, Guido d’Arezzo added the concept of a STAFF.  Placing letters on lines to indicate pitch.  He also was the inventor of the Solfege system as an alternative to learning musical names.

Research tells us that 90% of people are visual learners. This PDF explains visually how to SEE the staff right on the keyboard.  Looking at a keyboard the keys are flat and we see them in a straight line.  The staff however read from the bottom up. This worksheet flips the staff and lines it up with the keyboard.

The Staff Worksheet