Previous: Lesson 6 - Writing on a Stave
The previous lesson showed us where the notes on the stave are positioned. But, all the notes we have looked at so far are on the 5 lines of the stave. However, we can place notes above or below the stave with a tool called ledger lines.
Simply, ledger lines are used to make it clear which notes are being played when they’re above or below the staff.
Remember, the notes are written on a specific line or space, so the C one octave above the one shown on the left would have to go above the staff (count the notes to see how this works).
Ledger Lines
The blue line you can see on the diagram above is the ledger line (it's only blue to stand out for this lesson, they would just be the same colour as the music), it is only added if the note needs it.
Drawing Notes
Ledger lines are the length of one note head, if there are two next to each other, use two, not one long one, it’s just much easier to read.
You can have many ledger lines going up or down, but for grade one, you only need to use the one below the treble stave or one above the bass stave. This note is the middle C we saw in lesson 5 - They are both the same note.
This is a fairly simple lesson, next we are moving on to sharps and flats, which is more complex, so move on when you're ready and as always, get in touch if you need any help.
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