THE GRAND STAFF

Welcome to the final lesson in Sight Reading Made Simple! In this section, we are going to put everything
we’ve learned up until now together, and explain some concepts that didn’t make sense earlier. To do that,
we need to use the grand staff.

The grand staff looks lik this:

The grand staff is what we use when we play both hands at the same time. Simply put, it’s both the treble
and bass staffs joined together.

IT ALL MAKES SENSE

A lot of people ask me why the notes are different in the treble and bass staffs when all the lines and spaces
look the same. Well, this is why: the treble and bass staffs are not their own separate entities. They should
be viewed as one connected unit called the grand staff.

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And it all comes back to Middle C. Remember how Middle C is not the actual middle note on the piano?
Well, it isthe middle note on the grand staff:

This is where we get the note names for the lines and spaces. From Middle C, when you move up in the
treble clef, you get D, then E, F, G, A, and so on. When you move down in the bass clef, you get C, then B, A,
G, F, E, D, C, and so on. Here’s what that looks like:

So you can see how the musical alphabet moves up and down from Middle C! And that is how each line and
space gets its name, and why the treble and bass clefs are different.

With all of this in mind, I do have some practice tips that I think are REALLY important. These will set you
up for success as you practice.

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GO SLOW
This is so important, especially when learning new exercises and concepts. We want to make sure we are
learning things CORRECTLY. Practicing slowly allows us to do that. This will pay off BIG TIME in the future.
Otherwise, you risk developing bad habits, and if you go too fast too soon, you might hit a wall and get
discouraged.

HANDS SEPARATELY
This is another important tip. Never practice anything hands together until you can play each hand by itself
first. This allows you to get comfortable and focus on one thing at a time, so you don’t get overwhelmed
and frustrated.

TAKE IT IN SMALL CHUNKS

Finally, take it in small chunks. Don’t try to play through an entire song the very first time. Take it one bar
at a time. Play the right hand, then the left hand, and then hands together. Once you’ve done that, move
on to the next bar. Once you get more comfortable, start playing through entire lines together. By taking it
piece-by-piece you won’t get overwhelmed and you will really get to know the song.

CONCLUSION
And that’s it! The series is over! Now that you’ve completed Sight Reading Made Simple, you understand
the basics of rhythm and how to read notes on the staff in both the treble and bass clefs! You have learned
the equivalent of knowing how to read a foreign language while riding a bike and juggling. Congratulations!

But this is just the start. This series has given you a strong foundation in sight reading that will apply to the
rest of your piano playing journey. If you’re wondering what to do next, I cannot speak highly enough of
Pianote. With a Pianote membeship, you’ll have access to our structured lessons (with a format very similar
to this series) that will guide you step-by-step so you always know exactly what to learn and when to move
on to the new material.

Thanks again, I truly hope you enjoyed Sight Reading Made Simple.

Have fun and good luck!

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