Treble clef notes,
at a glance.
The treble clef is the top staff in piano music, usually for the right hand. Its five lines are E, G, B, D and F, and its four spaces spell FACE. Learn them below, then practice in the game until you can name each note at a glance.
- Lines
- EGBDF
- Spaces
- FACE
Name the note before it reaches the line: play it on the on-screen piano, a MIDI keyboard or your own piano through the microphone. The game starts on the easiest notes and waits for you.
Clef Chase · Right hand · C D E F G
The notes on the lines.
E very G ood B oy D oes F ine
From the bottom line up, the treble clef lines are E, G, B, D and F. A sentence makes them stick: Every Good Boy Does Fine.
The clef itself is a G clef: its curl wraps around the second line from the bottom, and that line is G, the G just above middle C.
The notes in the spaces.
FACE
The four spaces, from the bottom up, are F, A, C and E. They spell the word FACE, which is the easiest mnemonic in music.
Middle C and ledger lines.
Notes that go past the staff get short extra lines of their own, called ledger lines. Middle C sits on one ledger line just below the treble staff. It is the C closest to the middle of the piano, usually under the brand name.
From middle C, D hangs just under the bottom line, and E sits on it. Above the staff, G sits on top of the top line and A takes the first ledger line above.
Where these notes are on the piano.
Every step on the staff, line to space or space to line, is the next white key. So the treble staff covers the white keys from middle C up to about the second C above it, the part of the keyboard your right hand plays most.
Start with three landmarks: middle C, the G on the second line, and the C in the third space. Read every other note as a step or a skip from the nearest landmark. That is faster than counting up from the bottom line every time.
Good to know.
What are the notes of the treble clef?
The lines are E, G, B, D and F from the bottom up, and the spaces are F, A, C and E. Middle C sits on one ledger line below the staff.
How do you remember the treble clef notes?
Lines: Every Good Boy Does Fine. Spaces: they spell FACE. Then learn a few landmark notes, such as middle C and the G the clef curls around, and read the rest from them.
Where is middle C in the treble clef?
On one short ledger line just below the five lines of the staff.
Why is it called the G clef?
Its curl wraps around the second line, which is the G above middle C. The clef marks where G is, and every other note is read from there.