Ledger lines
Ledger lines
When a note goes beyond the five staff lines, short ledger lines extend the same sequence of scale degrees above or below the staff.
Do not restart the count
A ledger line does not change the reading rule. Imagine that the five lines continue beyond the staff, but draw only a short segment near the notehead.
Practice
- Find the nearest regular line.
- Continue counting through the spaces.
- Play the note and name it before checking again.
Start slowly and use your ear to check what you have read.
Sources and licenses
- Open Music Theory, Version 2 — Virtual Library of Virginia / contributing authorsCC BY-SA 4.0; adapted explanation with attribution
- Theory Lessons — musictheory.netExternal reference; no text or images copied
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