Beginning Note Reading

This page will help beginning note readers learn the "D" scale for their instrument.  Both the music "clef" and "staff" are discussed as well.   Each clef has it's own order of lines and spaces (the staff is usually only labeled on the lines and spaces), but notes continue above and below in alphabetical order, always using the letters "A-G".   

The scale for each instrument falls on only a portion of the staff.   Students often confuse string names, with staff lines and spaces, and the note of the scale.  The finger patterns for the notes of the D scale will be taught by the orchestra teachers, and can be found on pages 6 and 8 in "Essential Elements for Strings 2000"   There is also a fingering chart for each instrument on page 47 in the method book.

The mastery of reading the 8 notes of the d scale will help grade 4 orchestra members be successful.  See the below graphics that show the D Scale for Violin, Viola and Cello, and their respective staff lines and spaces.

Here's a video that a supplement to page 14 in your books:  https://youtu.be/OcokWsf4Vg4

Violin D Scale:

Violin "D" Scale Fingering Chart

Figure A:

Violins:   Did you know that your music staff is in alphabetical order?  Many music teachers teach the lines and spaces separately, like this:

Figure A:  Violin (treble clef) lines and spaces, from the bottom up:   Lines: “Ernie Gives Bert Dead Flies and Spaces:  “F A C E in the space”  

(For lines bottom up, people also use Empty Garbage Before Dad Flips or Elvis' Guitar Broke Down Friday)  

But if you name each line, and then the space, and then the next line, you’ll be talking in alphabetical order. . . Ernie, F, Gives, A, Bert, etc.

When you talk about the staff in alphabetical order, you're moving in a scale pattern.

“Ledger lines” are lines that extend the staff above and below.

Viola D Scale:

Viola "D" Scale Fingering Chart

Figure B:

Violas:  Did you know that your music staff is in alphabetical order?  Many music teachers teach the lines and spaces separately, like this:  

Figure B:  Viola lines and spaces, bottom-up:    Lines: “Fat Anteaters Clean Elephants Great and  Spaces: “Good Boys Deserve Fudge"  

If you name each line, and then the space, and then the next line, you’ll be talking in alphabetical order. . . Fat, Good, A, B, etc.   When you 

talk about the in alphabetical order, you're moving in a scale pattern.

“Ledger lines” are lines that extend the staff above and below.   Both viola and cello students have ledger line notes in their 

“D” scales.

Cello D Scale:  (This is the same "D" scale for string bass* too)    *different fingering 

Cello "D" Scale Fingering Chart

Figure C

Cellos:  Did you know that your music staff is in alphabetical order?  Many music teachers teach the lines and spaces separately, like this:  

Figure C:  Cello lines and spaces, bottom-up:    Lines: “Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always"  and  Spaces “All Cows Eat Grass" 

If you name each line, and then the space, and then the next line, you’ll be talking in alphabetical order. . . Good, A, Boys, etc.   When you 

talk about the in alphabetical order, you're moving in a scale pattern.

“Ledger lines” are lines that extend the staff above and below.   Both viola and cello students have ledger line notes in their “D” scales.

Students:   Practice your notes and note reading. . . it's like a secret language only for musicians!

All note reading content, graphics and fingering charts on this page created by Steve Muise.