The Grand Stave

The Grand Stave

Though we know the stave as five horizontal lines it originated as eleven. The 11 line stave is called the grand stave.

Pitch ascends through the lines and spaces of the grand stave.

Our five line stave is easier to read than the grand stave. But to reduce our stave to five lines we need to know which five lines we are referring to. For that we use a clef.

• The top five lines = the treble.
• The bottom five lines = the bass clef.
• The middle five lines = the alto clef.
• The tenor clef stave is one line down from the alto clef stave.

It is comforting to see how closely the staves are related.

A B C D E F G

We name the ascensions of pitch with the first 7 letters of the alphabet, A B C D E F G. The alphabet ascends smoothly through the lines and spaces of the grand stave. We repeat the names at each eighth ascension.

A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

The easy ascension on the grand stave doesn't look so easy on the 5 line staves. The middle line is B on the treble clef, D on the bass clef, C on the alto clef and A on the tenor clef.

I often find it helpful to think of the grand stave. The top two lines of the alto clef are the bottom two lines of the treble clef. The bottom two lines of the alto clef are the top two lines of the bass clef.

The tenor clef is a line under the alto clef. The top of the tenor clef is the bottom of the treble clef. The middle of the tenor clef is the top of the bass clef. The bottom of the tenor clef is the middle of the bass clef.

Alternative names for the clefs

Here is another way to remember the clefs and the names of the notes on the stave. This method will suit you if you think in pictures. Look to the pivotal point of the clef symbol.

The treble clef symbol winds round G above Middle C. The bass clef symbol curls round F below Middle C. The alto and tenor clef symbols mirror through Middle C.

• The treble clef is a G clef.
• The bass clef is an F clef.
• The alto and tenor clefs are C clefs.

 

Scaling the heights

Soprano instruments lend themselves to melody, light harmony and colour. Tenor instruments too play melody. Bass sometimes plays melody.

It takes a skillful arranger to write an effective and appropriate bass melody. Bass is the band's tonal foundation. If an inappropriate move is made the building comes tumbling down.

To study bass we must be able to talk about it in quantifiable terms. Bass C is an octave under Middle C. Pedal C is an octave under Bass C. Bass notes are between Bass C and Pedal C. Pedal notes are all notes under Pedal C.

We must also talk about very high notes in quantifiable terms. The higher the note the thinner it is. Above the treble clef notes noticeably thin out. Very thin notes are used for colour and effect, rarely melody.

Some instruments play as high as C above the treble clef (Top C). Very few instruments play as high as C above Top C (double top C). Notes between top C and double top C are top notes. Notes above double top C are double top notes.

>>> rising pitch

pedal notes	bass notes	below Middle C	Middle C	above Middle C		top notes	double top notes
DEFGABC	DEFGABC	DEFGAB	C	DEFGAB	CDEFGAB	CDEFGAB	CDEFGAB
	---XXXX	XXXXX-		-XXXXX	XXXX---
	Bass Clef			Treble Clef