Unit 9 — Ledger lines

Short lines carry each staff on. Unit 9 reads round middle C in each hand's own clef, then above the treble and below the bass on ledger lines, out to high C (C6) and low C (C2). It ends with pieces by Satie and Schumann.

Start Unit 9

Short lines carry each staff on. Round middle C, each hand reads in its own clef; above the treble and below the bass, the notes run out on ledger lines to high C (C6) and low C (C2). Unit 9 teaches twelve new notes in four small groups, and counts ledger lines the way you already count staff lines.

• Prerequisite: Unit 8.
• New notes: B3, A3 and G3 in the treble; D4 and E4 in the bass; A5, B5 and C6 in the treble; F2, E2, D2 and C2 in the bass.
• Landmark: middle C.
• Idea: ledger lines.

The new notes

The sittings, in order

1. Ledger lines (concept). Count ledger lines from the staff, as you count lines on it. Middle C both ways; high C and low C as a mirror pair.
2. Below middle C, in the treble. The right hand reaching down: B just under middle C's ledger line, A on a second, G just under that.
3. Above middle C, in the bass. The left hand reaching up: D and E over the bass staff.
4. Crossover cards. The same key written two ways: the clef says which hand.
5. Use it: Frère Jacques. Down to G3 for "ding, dang, dong".
6. Above the treble. A, B and high C on one and two ledger lines above.
7. Below the bass. F in the space below, down to low C on two ledger lines.
8. Mix. Play it, find it on the staff, name it, step or skip, and a lightning round.
9. Read a phrase.
10. Hanon No. 1 (lesson). Even fingers, both hands in parallel: a daily five minutes from here on.
11. Use it: Little Toy Lost (melody). Up to C6.
12. Use it: Satie, Gymnopédie No. 3 (melody). Up to A5, slowly.
13. Use it: Schumann, Melody (melody). The first piece of the Album for the Young.
14. Use it: Schumann, A Little Piece (melody).
15. Checkpoint.

Teaching notes

• B3, A3 and G3 in the treble are a step, a skip and a fourth below middle C: just under its ledger line, on the second ledger line, and under the second.
• D4 and E4 in the bass are a step and a skip above middle C, over the bass staff.
• A5 is the first ledger line above, a step above high G. B5 sits just above it. C6, high C, is two ledger lines above.
• F2, low F, is the space below the bass staff. E2 is the first ledger line below; D2 just below it; C2, low C, two ledger lines below.
• Mirror pairs help. Middle C and A5 each sit on one ledger line; high C and low C each on two.

Common mistakes

• Counting ledger lines from the wrong end. Always count from the staff outwards.
• Reading B3 in the treble as D. B hangs under middle C's ledger line; D hangs under the staff itself.
• Missing whether the note is on a ledger line or beyond it. Look for a line through the note head.

Related guides

• Ledger lines explained
• The grand staff
• Where is middle C?

Next: Unit 10 — Keys of G and F. Back to the whole path.

Start Unit 9

The Octotune team · Updated 23 September 2026