Everything you need to know about piano notation — grand staff reading, right and left hand notation, pedal marks, fingerings and voicing.
Piano music is written on the grand staff — two five-line staves joined by a brace. The upper staff (treble clef) is played by the right hand; the lower staff (bass clef) is played by the left. Middle C sits on a ledger line between the two staves.
Piano fingerings use numbers 1-5:1=thumb,2=index,3=middle,4=ring,5=pinky. Fingering numbers are placed above or below notes. Choose fingerings that minimize hand movement between positions.
The sustain pedal is marked with 'Ped.' to engage and an asterisk (*) to release. Half-pedal, soft pedal (una corda), and sostenuto pedal have their own specific markings.
Download these free printable PDFs to practice what you learned
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