The Grand Staff
Have you ever looked at a piece of piano music and have seen the treble and the bass clef? Ever wonder why there are multiple clefs?
Lesson Objectives
- The learner will understand the function of the grand staff.
- The learner will be able to describe the function of middle c, and its role in the music world.
Lesson 3: The Grand Staff
The Bass and Treble Clefs are joined together by a brace to make the GRAND STAFF. A ledger line is used to connect the two staves (Middle C). When playing the piano, the right hand typically plays music written in the treble clef, and the left hand plays those notes in the bass clef. As the left hand side of your brain controls the right side of your body, and vice versa, playing piano reqiures stimulation of both sides of the brain.
The design of grand staff has often been a source of question/frustration. Many people find it difficult to read and understand. The biggest question asked is why are the orders of the lines and spaces different between the clefs (ex. the first line of the treble clef is E, and the first line of trhe bass cleff is G). Below is another exmple of how notes are comprised on the grand staff.
The Connecting Note
The note that connects the treble and bass clefs together forming the grand staff is called MIDDLE C. Middle C is drawn using a leger line (which we talked about in the previous two lessons). Middle C can be written either in the Treble or Bass Clef (as shown below), and has the same pitch.
Discussion
Using the discussion tab above, write a response pertaining to the use of multiple clefs in music. Do you feel that you could come up with a better way to notate music rather then using the grand staff and/or similar clefs? Please comment on two of your classmates posts. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers.
CHECK YOUR SKILLS
TASKS
The Grand Staff File:Work7.pdf
Objective: Combining the treble and bass clef to create the grand staff.
ANSWER KEY
The Grand Staff (Answer Key)File:Answerwork7.pdf
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