UNIT 1

Every

Good

Boy

Favour

Deserves

Bass clef (left hand):

The spaces:

G
0

I)

()

All

Cows

Eat

Grass

The lines:

Good

Boys

A
0

Of course, any fool can remember

remember

Deserve

Fine

rhese phrases. Whar

Apples
matters

is wherher

you can

which phrase or word refers co which clef (or hand). If it has five words

you know it's gOt co be lines; if it has four words or letters, it's gar be spaces. Try co
learn rhem.
When nares go below the bass stave, or above rhe rreble stave, we use more leger
lines, like wirh Middle C. Nore that rhe high C is rhe same disrance above the treble
srave as the low C is below
symmerrically

rhe bass clef. (It's

our

:J:
-o

the only nore rhar comes

in rhis way.)

-U-

-e-

Because rhe hands often cross rhe middle

of rhe piano, we sometimes

need co wrire

nares for rhe righr hand below Middle C, and for rhe lefr hand above Middle C. Each
hand rends co keep ro its own stave and clef, so we use leger lines again:

READING MUSIC: RHYTHM

Playing music isn't jusr about knowing

whar nares co play, it's about knowing

when

co play rhem. Music rakes place in time. We read each line of music from left ro
right,

like a book, but we don't jusr play rhe nares when we feel like ir: rhe music

rells us exactly when co move from one nore co the next.

Timing
and shorter

in music has several aspecrs. Firstly, there's rhe pattern

(faster)

nares in a musical

phrase

of longer (slower)

or rune: rhe rhythm.

Jusr like in

39