The grand staff and ledger lines

Key idea The grand staff stacks treble on top of bass. Middle C sits between them on a ledger line. Notes beyond the staff use ledger lines, read with the same line, space, line pattern.

Piano music is written on a grand staff, joined by a brace at the start. The right hand usually reads the top staff and the left hand the bottom. Notes lined up vertically are played together.

Ledger lines

When notes go past the five lines, short extra lines called ledger lines are added. Read them as if the staff kept going: line, space, line, space.