Theory of Music Trinity College London Press Grade

Theory of Music Trinity College London Press Grade 1 Lesson 1: The Stave

The Stave (Page 2) Music is usually written on a set of five lines called a stave 5 th Line 4 th Line 3 rd Line 2 nd Line 1 st Line 4 th Space 3 rd Space 2 nd Space 1 st Space 2

1. Pitch in music is the highness or lowness of a sound. 2. The part of the note that indicates pitch is called the note-head. Pitch 3

Note-heads are small oval shapes that are written on lines of the stave, or in the spaces between stave lines. 4

Types of note-head Closed Note-head Open Note-head 5

Writing note-heads in the spaces of the stave When writing note-heads in the spaces of the stave, make sure that the note-head is in the center of the space, touching both the line above it and the line below it. 6

Writing note-heads on the lines of the stave Note-heads that are on lines need to be centered directly on the appropriate line, so that the top of the note-head is in the middle of the space above it, and the bottom of the notehead is in the middle of the space below it. 7

1. Always be neat when writing noteheads. 2. If a note-head is too big or too small, or too high or too low, the musician reading what you have written will not know what to play. 8

The note-heads can be put on the stave lines 9

The note-heads can also be put in the spaces between the lines 10

Write a note-heads on every line. Leave gaps between the notes. 11

Write a note-head in every space 12

Write three note-heads on the third line up from the bottom. Then write three note-heads in the first space. 13

Write a note-head on every line and in every space Line Space Line 14

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