This lesson should be preceded by:
Preliminary Lesson 1
Preliminary Lesson 2a
Preliminary Lesson 2b
Intervals
Preliminary Lesson 3
Preliminary Lesson 4a
In Preliminary Lesson 4a, we introduced the staff.
1. The pitch of musical sounds is pictured by lines.
2. The lines stand for sounds going up in the order of 3rds.
3. We cannot tell the names and pitches of the lines till one of them is named.
4. The one that is named becomes a key to the rest of the ladder.
b.) The Arbitrary Staff (definition of arbitrary: based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system.)
Question the student’s grasp of the principles introduced in Preliminary Lesson: 4a. Ensure that he understands:
a.) that a person who wanted to write a song might make a ladder picturing just the sounds that he needs for that particular song.
b.) that if he named one of the lines of the ladder it would be possible for others to also find all the sounds that were in his song.
Discuss with the student how the above scenario is very possible. But wouldn’t it be convenient if there was a set of lines that was always the same for everyone to use?
We’d have to come up with a set of lines that would be conducive for almost all songs. Let’s talk more about that. What pitch sounds would be used the most or most suitable for a large number of songs?
What sounds are most often used in piano playing?
Where does the player sit?
Since the sounds most often used are in the middle of the piano right where the player sits, a ladder picturing the middle sounds of the piano would be the most useful.
Draw a ladder with eleven lines:
What do we know already about the above ladder?
1. that the lines picture the sounds near the middle of the keyboard.
2. that they lines represent sounds that are a third apart.
What must we know before knowing the exact pitch of the lines?
How about I tell you the pitch of the middle line? You can then figure out the rest.
The teacher can play C on the piano. Show the student on the keyboard. The C about the middle of the keyboard is pictured by the middle line of the ladder.
This is the middle C sound on the piano. The line in the above ladder represents the middle C sound.
A ladder of eleven lines can be rather puzzling to look at. Since it’s so hard for our eyes to keep track of more than five lines at a time, we are going to shorten the middle line.
Here we have a Staff. You can print off this downloadable template of the staff. It will be useful for referencing in the future with your student. Slip it in the front of their piano binder.
Let me hear again the sound of the short middle line, middle C. Hold down that key for a minute with one finger.
How many lines are above middle C? Can you play and name those five sounds?
How many lines are below middle C? Can you play and name those five sounds?
Stop a moment and hold that lowest sound again. What is it’s name?
So we have seen now that the staff reaches from where to where?
When playing the piano, some people need to use sounds that go beyond the lines of the Staff. When this is the case, other lines as added as needed. These lines are always made short.
Below is an example. Two short lines were added at the top because some more sounds were needed.
Treble and Bass – The part of the staff above the middle C line is called the Treble part, and the sounds there are usually played with our right hand.
The part of the staff below the middle C line is called the Bass, and those sounds are usually played with our left hand.
Practice:
Have the student close their eyes for a moment. Is this sound in the treble or in the bass?
Let me hear the pitch of the high F line (point to the high F line on the staff.)
Let me hear the pitch of the low G line (point to the low G line on the staff.)
Let me hear the pitch of the middle C line (point to the middle C line on the staff.)
Reverse the exercise.
The teacher plays high F on the keyboard. Which line represents that sound?
The teacher plays low G on the keyboard. Which line represents that sound?
The teacher plays middle C on the keyboard. Which lines represents that sound?
Ear exercise:
Have the student close their eyes again. Which of the three sounds am I play. See if the child can identify all three with their eyes closed: High F, low G, and middle C.
Summary:
- The Staff is a ladder of eleven lines, picturing sounds a 3rd apart.
- The eleven lines picture the middle sounds of the keyboard from low G to high F.
- The middle line is made short because our eyes cannot easily see more than five lines in a group.
- The staff can be made larger when needed.
- The upper part of the staff – and of the keyboard – is called the Treble, and lower part the Bass.
Homework:
Draw a ladder of eleven lines and write C on the short one in the middle.
Every day, play the sounds on the piano that below to the short middle line, the highest line and the lowest line.
Prepare for the next lesson here: Lesson 4c.