Ledger lines
Lesson 6 of 14 · Beginner · Notes above and below the staff, and middle C between the clefs.
Beyond the five lines
Notes too high or too low for the staff get short extra lines of their own: ledger lines.
Count them just like the staff: every line and every space is still the next white key.
Middle C in the treble clef
Middle C sits on one ledger line just below the treble staff.
The D above it hangs just under the bottom line, and the B below it hangs just under the ledger line.
Middle C in the bass clef
The same middle C sits on one ledger line just above the bass staff.
That's where the two clefs meet. Piano music joins a treble staff and a bass staff, and middle C sits between them.
Higher and lower
Above the treble staff, A5 sits on the first ledger line and C6 on the second. Below the bass staff, E2 sits on the first ledger line.
Far above or below, music switches to 8va ("play an octave higher") instead of piling up more lines.
Practice
Where middle C goes.
Read the note, ledger lines and all, then press it.
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