Count from the bottom
A staff has five lines and four spaces. Both are counted from the bottom, so the bottom line is the first line and the space just above it is the first space.
The treble clef curls around the second line from the bottom, and that line is G. From there the letters keep running upward: the five lines are E G B D F and the four spaces are F A C E.
Middle C sits below the staff, on a short ledger line of its own. Every line and space above it carries the same letter order on upward.
Name two notes
The first note sits on the second line from the bottom. Say the line mnemonic, Every Good Boy Does Fine, and stop at the second word. The second line is G.
The second note sits on the bottom line, which is the first line. The first word is Every, so the bottom line is E.
Counting the lines is the whole method. The mnemonic is only there to keep the order straight while you count.
Read one more note
This note sits between two lines, so it is in a space rather than on a line.
Count the spaces from the bottom of the staff, the same way you counted the lines. The four treble spaces spell one short word.
Try it
Which note sits in the first space from the bottom of the treble staff?
- E
- F
Show the answer
F
Correct. The four treble spaces spell F A C E from the bottom, so the first space is F. E is the line just below it.
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