Musical Definitions
- Staff, Staves
The five lines and four spaces on which music is written.
Music on staves joined by a verticle line (See brace ) is to be played or sung at the same time. - Alto Clef
The C clef giving the position of the note middle C on the middle line of the staff. - Chord shapes
The diagrams often shown above the staff which give the fingering for chords on the guitar, piano, organ, and other instruments. - Clef
Literally means 'key', it's a symbol at the beginning of a staff that denotes the pitch of the notes. - Key Signatures
A grouping of sharp or flat signs placed immediately after the clef on the lines of the staff.
Unless contradicted (cancelled) by natural signs, they affect every note with the same name as the ones marked. - Signs On The Staves
There are four common signs used on the staves. They are the treble , or G clef, the bass clef , or F clef, the alto clef (the C CLEF on the middle line), and the tenor (the C CLEF on the second from top line). Each of these clefs were originally letters, indicating which note on the staff was that note. - Tie or Bind
A tie or bind is a curved line above or below two notes which serves to add the value of these two notes together. Note that both notes must be in the same position on the staff. A tie joins two notes of the same pitch: it can be confused with a slur, which links together notes of a different pitch. Tied notes always sound like one continuous note.