Introducing the Stave

The stave (or staff, if you prefer) is a way of recording how high or how low a note is.

The lines on the treble stave are named for their matching pitched notes. Try the poem below to remember them:

Here’s where they match with a piano keyboard:

Try playing ‘Name That Note‘ to practise, or use Ms Salmon’s giant staff to play speed staff games, or musical twister.

Challenge 1 – Chords

Simple chords are made of the first, third, fifth, and sometimes eighth note of the scale (major or minor). If you don’t know the scale, then count:

• MAJOR: the starting letter is the first note. 4 half steps up to the next note. 3 half steps to the next note. 5 half steps to the final note.
• MINOR: the starting letter is the first note. 3 half steps up to the next note. 4 half steps to the next note. 5 half steps to the final note.

Choose a starting note, and in small groups, try to find which notes should be in the chord. Record on the whiteboard staves as letters or notes.

Challenge 2 – Scales

Starting on a different note each time, work out which notes ‘sound right’ in the scale. You will need to work out which ‘white’ notes are replaced with ‘black’ notes. Record on the whiteboard staves as letters or notes.

HINT: From easiest to hardest,

• C – 1# (sharp)
• G – 2 #s      F – 1 b (flat)
• D – 2 #s
• A – 3 #s
• E – 4 #s
• B – 5 #s

EXTENSION Challenge 3 – Pentatonic Scales

Penta means five, and tonic refers to tone. A pentatonic scale is made of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th notes of the scale. Starting on ‘C’, the pentatonic scale would be C, D, E, G, A. Can you work out the pentatonic scales starting on different notes, and record the pattern on the treble stave?

UPDATE:

Discovering Chords from Ms S. on Vimeo.

Creative Arts

About Ms Salmon

I am a teacher in NSW, Australia. I use this blog for my students each year, and for collecting games, videos, images etc. for use with those classes.

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