Pitch Notation
To review, a music notation system is a collection of symbols that people use to represent and interpret sounds. Depending on the historical period and culture, this system has taken many different forms and served different functions.
In recent centuries, the standard in most Western music traditions has been staff notation. Other forms of notation have also been used, however. Some contemporary music, for example, uses imaginative forms of graphic notation. In earlier times, tablature—a combination of letters, numbers, and staff—was used for particular string instruments. A numerical notation system that is sometimes used instead of the traditional character notation also exists in China and Japan.
The Staff
The staff is a collection of five horizontal lines and the four spaces between them. Recall that noteheads may be placed on the lines of the staff or in the spaces between the lines to represent different pitches. You may see examples of both types of placements by clicking Notes on Line, Notes on Space, or All in the interactive animation below.
Note Placement: High and Low
Successive lines and spaces from bottom to top of the staff represent successively higher pitches. Listen carefully to the ascending and descending pitches in the next example by clicking Show Me.
Once you have listened to all the sounds up and down the staff, drag the notehead to different lines and spaces. Try to imagine the sound before you release the mouse button. Were you able to hear the sound inside your head before it played?
One observation: When you drag the notehead up and down the staff, make sure that it is centered precisely on the line or in the space where you want it to snap into place. When you actually draw notes on a staff with pencil and paper, you will need to follow that golden rule for writing good music.