Introduction to Standard Notation
When to read this: Session 21 assigns this handout. Read it after the session: the reading is not part of the session’s 50 minutes. Read from “The Staff” to the end of “Note Values — What Notes Look Like” (about 10 minutes).
What You’ll Learn
Section titled “What You’ll Learn”Standard notation is the universal written language of music. Unlike TAB, which is guitar-specific, standard notation works for any instrument. This handout introduces you to reading notes on the treble clef staff, understanding note values visually, and connecting staff notation to your guitar fretboard. Reading the staff is also useful if you later prepare for a graded exam: Rockschool Grade 1 offers an optional sight-reading test and asks questions about the clef, the time signature and note values.
By the end you should be able to name the open-position notes from C up to G on a five-line staff with a treble clef, and say how many beats a whole, half, quarter and eighth note last. Playing from staff notation is not taught in this course.
The Concept Explained
Section titled “The Concept Explained”Why Learn Standard Notation?
Section titled “Why Learn Standard Notation?”You already know TAB (from Reading Tab), which tells you exactly where to put your fingers. So why learn another system?
- Graded exams use it: Rockschool Grade 1 has an optional sight-reading test (you may choose improvising instead) and asks you to point out the treble clef, the time signature and note values. Trinity Rock & Pop has no sight-reading test.
- Universal language — any musician in the world can read standard notation, regardless of instrument
- Rhythm is built in — unlike basic TAB, standard notation shows exactly how long each note lasts
- Melodic understanding — you see the shape of a melody (high notes are high on the staff, low notes are low)
(“Rockschool” here means the RSL Awards Rockschool Acoustic Guitar Grade 1 exam, and “Trinity Rock & Pop” means the Trinity College London Rock & Pop Guitar Grade 1 exam. Whats Next describes both.)
At the beginner level, you only need to name the open-position notes (the open strings plus frets 1 to 3) from C up to G, and to say how long each one lasts. This is not about replacing TAB — it is about adding another tool.
The Staff
Section titled “The Staff”Standard notation uses a staff — five horizontal lines with four spaces between them. Notes are placed on lines or in spaces, and their vertical position tells you the pitch. The lines are counted from the bottom: line 1 is the lowest and line 5 is the highest. The spaces are counted the same way, from space 1 at the bottom to space 4 at the top.
Here is a staff with the twelve notes this handout teaches written on it, from the lowest to the highest:
Guitar music is written one octave higher than it sounds. The twelve notes above are, in order: C (string 5 fret 3), D (string 4 open), E (string 4 fret 2), F (string 4 fret 3), G (string 3 open), A (string 3 fret 2), B (string 2 open), C (string 2 fret 1), D (string 2 fret 3), E (string 1 open), F (string 1 fret 1), G (string 1 fret 3).
In words, in case the staff is not drawn on your page: the first note, C, hangs below the staff on a short line of its own. Each note after it sits one step higher, by turns in a space and on a line: D just under line 1, E on line 1, F in space 1, and so on up to the last note, G, which sits just above line 5.
Higher on the staff = higher pitch. Lower on the staff = lower pitch.
The Treble Clef
Section titled “The Treble Clef”At the beginning of the staff, you will see a treble clef (also called the G clef) — a curly symbol that wraps around the second line. The treble clef tells you that the notes on this staff are in the higher range. Guitar music is written in the treble clef.
(Technical note: guitar actually sounds one octave lower than written, but this is handled automatically — you do not need to adjust anything when reading.)
Notes on the Lines
Section titled “Notes on the Lines”The five lines of the treble clef staff, from bottom to top, represent these notes:
Line 5: F Line 4: D Line 3: B Line 2: G Line 1: E
Memory aid: Every Good Boy Does Fine (bottom to top)
Notes in the Spaces
Section titled “Notes in the Spaces”The four spaces, from bottom to top:
Space 4: E Space 3: C Space 2: A Space 1: F
Memory aid: The spaces spell F-A-C-E (bottom to top)
Ledger Lines
Section titled “Ledger Lines”Notes that go above or below the five-line staff use small extra lines called ledger lines. The most important one for guitar:
Middle C sits on one ledger line below the staff. On your guitar, this is fret 3 on string 5 (the same C that starts your C major scale).
Note Values — What Notes Look Like
Section titled “Note Values — What Notes Look Like”In Rhythm And Time, you learned note durations by name. Here is what they look like on the staff:
| Note Value | Beats (in 4/4) | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Whole note | 4 | Open oval, no stem (looks like an “o”) |
| Half note | 2 | Open oval with a stem (vertical line) |
| Quarter note | 1 | Filled oval with a stem |
| Eighth note | 1/2 | Filled oval with a stem and one flag (or beam connecting to the next note) |
The next staff shows the four note values in turn, one kind in each measure, all on the same note (the C in space 3):
From left to right: whole note (4 beats), half notes (2 beats each), quarter notes (1 beat each), eighth notes (half a beat each). Every measure adds up to four beats: one whole note, two half notes, four quarter notes or eight eighth notes.
Rests (silences) also have visual symbols:
| Rest | Beats (in 4/4) | Appearance |
|---|---|---|
| Whole rest | 4 | Solid rectangle hanging below line 4 |
| Half rest | 2 | Solid rectangle sitting on line 3 |
| Quarter rest | 1 | Zigzag symbol |
| Eighth rest | 1/2 | Small angled mark with a dot |
Connecting Staff Notes to Your Guitar
Section titled “Connecting Staff Notes to Your Guitar”Here are the open-position notes from C up to G and where they sit on the staff:
String 1 (high E):
| Fret | Note | Staff Position |
|---|---|---|
| Open | E | Space 4 (top space) |
| 1 | F | Line 5 (top line) |
| 3 | G | Above staff, first space above line 5 |
String 2 (B):
| Fret | Note | Staff Position |
|---|---|---|
| Open | B | Line 3 (middle line) |
| 1 | C | Space 3 |
| 3 | D | Line 4 |
String 3 (G):
| Fret | Note | Staff Position |
|---|---|---|
| Open | G | Line 2 |
| 2 | A | Space 2 |
Open-Position Note Reference (C up to G):
| Note | Staff Position | Guitar Location |
|---|---|---|
| C (middle) | Ledger line below staff | String 5, fret 3 |
| D | Below line 1 | String 4, open |
| E | Line 1 | String 4, fret 2 |
| F | Space 1 | String 4, fret 3 |
| G | Line 2 | String 3, open |
| A | Space 2 | String 3, fret 2 |
| B | Line 3 | String 2, open |
| C (high) | Space 3 | String 2, fret 1 |
| D | Line 4 | String 2, fret 3 |
| E | Space 4 | String 1, open |
| F | Line 5 | String 1, fret 1 |
| G | Above line 5 | String 1, fret 3 |
This covers the open-position notes from C up to G: an octave and a fifth, from middle C on its ledger line below the staff to the G just above the staff. They include the notes used in Rockschool’s optional Grade 1 sight-reading test. The lower notes on strings 6 and 5 need more ledger lines below the staff and are not covered here.
Time Signatures and Bar Lines in Standard Notation
Section titled “Time Signatures and Bar Lines in Standard Notation”Standard notation uses the same time signatures and bar lines you learned in Rhythm And Time:
- The time signature (like 4/4 or 3/4) appears at the beginning
- Vertical bar lines divide the music into measures
- A double bar line marks the end of a section
- A final bar line (thin + thick) marks the end of the piece
You can see these on every staff in this handout: 4/4 at the start, a bar line after every four beats, and the final bar line at the end.
On Your Guitar
Section titled “On Your Guitar”Exercise 1: The E-G-B-D-F Line Notes on Guitar
Section titled “Exercise 1: The E-G-B-D-F Line Notes on Guitar”Play the notes that live on the five staff lines, from bottom to top:
| Staff Line | Note | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | E | String 4, fret 2, finger 2 |
| Line 2 | G | String 3, open |
| Line 3 | B | String 2, open |
| Line 4 | D | String 2, fret 3, finger 3 |
| Line 5 | F | String 1, fret 1, finger 1 |
e|----------------------1---| B|--------------0---3-------| G|----------0---------------| D|------2-------------------| A|--------------------------| E|--------------------------| Notes: E G B D F
Play slowly, one note after another, saying “E - G - B - D - F” as you go. These are the line notes.
Exercise 2: The F-A-C-E Space Notes on Guitar
Section titled “Exercise 2: The F-A-C-E Space Notes on Guitar”Now play the notes that sit in the spaces:
| Space | Note | Play |
|---|---|---|
| Space 1 | F | String 4, fret 3, finger 3 |
| Space 2 | A | String 3, fret 2, finger 2 |
| Space 3 | C | String 2, fret 1, finger 1 |
| Space 4 | E | String 1, open |
e|------------------0---| B|--------------1-------| G|----------2-----------| D|------3---------------| A|----------------------| E|----------------------| Notes: F A C E
Say “F - A - C - E” as you play. These are the space notes.
Exercise 3: The C Major Scale and Its Staff Positions
Section titled “Exercise 3: The C Major Scale and Its Staff Positions”Using the Open-Position Note Reference table above, play the C major scale, one octave, from C up to C. These eight notes are the first two measures of the staff at the top of this handout. This time, think of the staff position as you play each note:
C Major Scale — Ascending (low to high) e|--------------------------------------| B|------------------------------0---1---| G|----------------------0---2-----------| D|----------0---2---3-------------------| A|------3-------------------------------| E|--------------------------------------| Count: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & Pick: D U D U D U D U Finger: 3 - 2 3 - 2 - 1 Notes: C D E F G A B C
As you play each note, say both its letter name and staff position:
- “C — ledger line below”
- “D — below line 1”
- “E — line 1”
- “F — space 1”
- “G — line 2”
- “A — space 2”
- “B — line 3”
- “C — space 3”
This dual naming builds the connection between the notation on the page and the fretboard under your fingers.
Exercise 4: Four Reading Melodies
Section titled “Exercise 4: Four Reading Melodies”Here are four short melodies written on the staff. Do one a day. Each has four measures of 4/4 and uses only quarter notes (1 beat) and half notes (2 beats).
Notes used: A (string 3 fret 2), B (string 2 open), C (string 2 fret 1), D (string 2 fret 3), E (string 1 open).
Name each note aloud and say how many beats it lasts. Then check with the answer line.
If the page shows a line of TAB under the notes, cover it with a sheet of paper while you name them.
Answer lines. Look only after you have named every note. An upright line is a bar line, and a dash after a letter means a half note (2 beats); every other note is a quarter note (1 beat).
Reading 1: A- B C | D- C B | A B C D | C- A- Reading 2: E- D- | C D E C | B- C- | A- A- Reading 3: A C B D | C- E- | D C B A | A- A- Reading 4: C- B A | B- C D | E D C B | A- A-
If the staffs are not drawn on your page, the answer lines tell you what each melody contains. Once you have named a melody correctly, you may find its notes on the guitar and play it if you like. That is an extra: playing from the staff is not taught or tested in this course.
Quick Quiz
Section titled “Quick Quiz”1. Name each of the twelve notes on this staff, from left to right. (If a line of TAB is shown under it, cover it first.)
If the staff is not drawn on your page, name the note at each of these positions instead: (1) line 1; (2) the space just above line 5; (3) line 3; (4) just below line 1; (5) space 3; (6) space 1; (7) space 4; (8) space 2; (9) line 2; (10) line 4; (11) the ledger line below the staff; (12) line 5.
2. In 4/4, how many beats does each of these last: a whole note, a half note, a quarter note, an eighth note?
3. A note is drawn as an open oval with a stem. Which note value is it?
4. A note is drawn as a filled oval with a stem and one flag. Which note value is it?
5. A measure of 4/4 contains one half note, and the rest of the measure is quarter notes. How many quarter notes are there?
Answers
Section titled “Answers”- E, G, B, D, then C, F, E, A, then G, D, C, F.
- Whole note: 4 beats. Half note: 2 beats. Quarter note: 1 beat. Eighth note: half a beat.
- A half note (2 beats).
- An eighth note (half a beat).
- Two. The half note takes 2 of the 4 beats, and each quarter note takes 1.
You have passed when you name at least 10 of the 12 notes in question 1 and get questions 2 to 5 right. If not, re-read “Notes on the Lines”, “Notes in the Spaces” and the note-values table, and take the quiz again tomorrow.
Key Takeaway
Section titled “Key Takeaway”Standard notation places notes on a five-line staff where position indicates pitch and note shape indicates duration. This handout covers the open-position notes from middle C (ledger line below the staff) up to G above the staff, which include the notes used in Rockschool’s optional Grade 1 sight-reading test. The treble clef line notes spell E-G-B-D-F and the space notes spell F-A-C-E. In this course you learn to name the notes and say how long each lasts; playing from the staff is a later skill. Combined with your TAB reading skills, standard notation gives you a second way to read music — and it is the one the rest of the musical world uses.