Classical Notation and Sight-Reading

Classical musical notation features a unique set of symbols designed to convey virtually all relevant information about a musical work. Unlike guitar tablature, it applies equally to most instruments.

Staff

The Staff is a set of 5 parallel, horizontal lines that form the majority of "ink on the page". These correspond to pitch, with lower pitches towards the lowest line and higher pitches towards the highest. Notes are marked on top of a line, or between a pair of them.

Ledger Lines

Sometimes notes have pitch lower or higher than the lowest or highest line of the staff. To accommodate this, the notation uses Ledger Lines, additional lines drawn above or below the staff. Unlike the staff, however, ledger lines are short line fragments that are only as long as necessary for one or several consecutive notes that do not fit on the staff.

Clef

The Clef is typically the first marking one notices on the staff. It is a large, peculiar looking symbol, whose purpose is to indicate which notes align with the lines of the staff. The two most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef. The Treble Clef is used more often, aligning with the range of most classical instruments. Bass Clef is used for lower-pitched instruments. Piano commonly uses both Treble and Bass Clef.

Treble Clef aligns with the notes E G B D F on the lines from lowest to highest and F A C E in the spaces between them.

Time Signature

The Time Signature appears like a fraction, with one number over another, separated by a slanted line. The top number indicates the number of beats per measure, and the bottom number indicates the type of note that equals a single beat. The most common time signature is 4/4, indicating 4 beats per measure, with a quarter (1/4) note equaling one beat.

The time signature not only determines the speed of the piece, by aligning the note markings to each beat of the tempo, but implies the rhythm or meter of the piece. The measures should roughly align to discrete musical ideas (melodies, harmonic progressions, etc.). By determining the number of beats per measure, the time signature creates a visual organization to the piece.