The course › Unit 5: The bass clef and the grand staff
Lesson 27 of 72 · Two staffs, two hands, one middle C
At the piano, you read two staffs at once, joined on the left by a brace: on top, the treble clef, for the right hand; below, the bass clef, for the left hand. Together, they make the grand staff.
Middle C sits between the two, on its short ledger line. Written below the top staff, it’s for the right hand; written above the bottom staff, it’s for the left hand. But it’s the same key.
The same middle C, for the right hand, then for the left hand. The little black rectangle is a rest: during that time, that hand doesn’t play.
Your two C positions on the grand staff: the left hand, then the right hand.
Why this way: Why two staffs? With just one, the piano’s low and high notes would need piles of ledger lines. Two staffs, each with its own clef, cover most of the keyboard with very few extra lines.
First check which staff the note is on, then play it at its exact place.
Your left hand climbs from Bass C to G, then your right hand takes over at middle C… and back down again. Watch which staff each note is on.
On the grand staff, always ask yourself two questions, in this order: which staff? then which note?
Watch out: The classic trap: reading the bass clef as if it were the treble clef. A note on the 2nd line is G in the treble clef… but not in the bass clef! Trust each clef’s own landmarks.
As many correct notes as you can in 60 seconds, on both staffs. Which staff? Which note?
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