Reading Musical Notes

Grade 3 · Music · Study Guide

Learn how to read the symbols musicians use to write and share music.

Music is written using a special system of symbols called musical notation. When we write music down, we use a set of five horizontal lines called a staff. Notes are placed on the lines and spaces of the staff to show which pitch, or sound, to play or sing.

Notes have two main parts: the note head, which shows the pitch, and the stem and flags, which show how long the note lasts. A whole note is an open oval and lasts for four beats. A half note has an open oval with a stem and lasts for two beats. A quarter note has a filled-in oval with a stem and lasts for one beat.

At the beginning of a staff, you will often see a symbol called a clef. The treble clef, which looks like a fancy letter G, is used for higher-pitched music like singing, flute, or violin. The bass clef is used for lower-pitched instruments like tuba or the left hand of a piano.

The notes on the treble clef staff have names using the letters A through G. The lines from bottom to top spell out E, G, B, D, F — musicians remember this with the phrase 'Every Good Boy Does Fine.' The spaces from bottom to top spell F, A, C, E, which spells the word FACE.

Key terms

staff: The five horizontal lines on which music notes are written
treble clef: A symbol at the start of a staff used for higher-pitched music; also called the G clef
pitch: How high or low a musical sound is
whole note: An open oval note that is held for four beats
half note: An open oval note with a stem that is held for two beats
quarter note: A filled-in oval note with a stem that is held for one beat

Flashcards

staff: Five horizontal lines used to write music
note: A symbol in music that shows a pitch and how long to hold the sound
treble clef: The G-shaped symbol used for higher-pitched music on a staff
pitch: How high or low a musical sound is
whole note: An open oval note held for four beats
half note: An open oval note with a stem, held for two beats
quarter note: A solid oval note with a stem, held for one beat
measure: A section of music between two vertical bar lines on a staff

Questions

What is the name of the five horizontal lines on which music is written?
1. Scale
2. Staff
3. Clef
4. Measure
Show answer
Answer: Staff
The staff is the set of five horizontal lines on which musical notes are placed to show pitch and rhythm.
A whole note is held for two beats.
Show answer
Answer: False
A whole note is held for FOUR beats, not two. A half note is held for two beats.
Which note is filled in (solid) and lasts for one beat?
1. Whole note
2. Half note
3. Quarter note
4. Eighth note
Show answer
Answer: Quarter note
A quarter note has a filled-in (solid black) note head with a stem and lasts for exactly one beat.
The phrase 'Every Good Boy Does Fine' helps musicians remember the notes on the ___ of the treble clef.
Show answer
Answer: lines
The phrase 'Every Good Boy Does Fine' helps musicians remember that the five lines of the treble clef staff represent the notes E, G, B, D, and F from bottom to top.
The spaces on the treble clef staff spell the word FACE from bottom to top.
Show answer
Answer: True
The four spaces of the treble clef staff from bottom to top are F, A, C, E — which spells the word FACE, making them easy to remember.

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