Pitch is how sound moves. It can be high, low, and somewhere in the middle. When you are trying to determine whether an instrument makes a high sound or a low sound, think about a bird and an elephant.
Elephants are big and low to the ground. Birds are small and fly high in the sky. Big is low, little is high. Say that over and over, and you're sure to remember it!
When you want to play pitches on a piano or another instrument, you need to know their letter names. When the treble clef is in control of the staff, the lines have these letter names:
E G B D F
I like to remember this using the trick "Every Good Burger Deserves Fries". Can you think of another trick to remember these letters?
The treble clef spaces have these letter names:
F A C E
(Do you see a word you recognize?)
Here is what all those pitches look like when they're on the staff together:
**For notes that go above and below the staff, continue counting lines and spaces (notice the leger lines on the lowest C and the highest A), and use your knowledge of the alphabet!
For more practice with pitch, click here.
Developed by Ashley Creely, Music Specialist, Gateway Elementary School
Copyright 2008