Unit 8 — Outward
To the edges of both staves: F on the treble staff's top line and G sitting above it; B, A and G down to the bass staff's bottom line. After Unit 8 you can read every line and space of the grand staff, and you play your first real piano piece, Franz Behr's In May.
- Prerequisite: Unit 7.
- New notes: F5 and G5 (treble); B2, A2 and G2 (bass).
- Landmark: high G.
The new notes
| Note | Where it sits | Read it from |
|---|---|---|
| F5 | The treble staff's top line | A step above E5; the same letter as bass F, two octaves up |
| G5 | The space just above the treble staff | High G: treble G's octave, a landmark for notes above |
| B2 | The bass staff's second line | A step below bass C |
| A2 | The bass staff's bottom space | A skip below bass C |
| G2 | The bass staff's bottom line | Low G, two octaves below treble G |
The sittings, in order
- Meet high F and G. The treble staff's top line, and the space above it.
- Note cards. Only the notes met so far in the unit.
- Use it: Happy Birthday. From G4 up to G5: the hand moves once, with the leap up the octave.
- Meet low B, A and G. Down to the bass staff's bottom line: B a step below bass C, A a skip below it, and G2 a fourth below.
- Mix. Play it, find it on the staff, name it, and a lightning round.
- Read a phrase.
- Ode to Joy, with held bass (lesson). Beethoven's tune over held bass notes that reach down to G2.
- Use it: Happy Birthday, with bass.
- Use it: Behr, In May (melody). A real piano piece: its tune, up to high G.
- Use it: Behr, In May, with bass. The tune over its bass, down to low G.
- Checkpoint.
Teaching notes
- F5 is the top line, the last letter of "Every Good Boy Deserves Fun". G5, high G, sits on top of the staff: treble G's octave.
- B2 is the second line, a step below bass C. A2 is the bottom space. G2 is the bottom line (Good Boys...), two octaves below treble G.
- Count from the nearest landmark: high G for the top of the treble staff, bass C for the bottom of the bass. Not from middle C.
- Hold the bass. In Ode to Joy with held bass, the left hand's long notes have to stay down while the tune moves.
Common mistakes
- Counting from the wrong edge. Count from the nearest landmark, not from the bottom of the staff or from middle C.
- Taking G5 for F5. F has the top line through it; G sits on top of the line.
- Low notes in the wrong octave. G2 is the bottom line of the bass staff: two Gs below middle C.
Related guides
Next: Unit 9 — Ledger lines. Back to the whole path.