Reading Standard Notation for Classical Guitar: Staff, Clef, and Guitar Transposition

The Five-Line Staff: Where Notes Live

Standard notation uses a staff made of five horizontal lines and four spaces. Notes are placed on lines or spaces to show pitch: higher placement means higher pitch, lower placement means lower pitch.

When notes go above or below the staff, we add short extra lines called ledger lines so the note still has a clear “home.”

Treble Clef (G Clef)

Classical guitar music is written in the treble clef. The treble clef curls around the line that represents the note G (specifically the G above middle C). This anchors the staff so every line and space corresponds to a specific letter name.

Note Names: The Musical Alphabet (A–G)

In standard notation, notes use the repeating letter sequence:

A B C D E F G

Continue in our app.

• Listen to the audio with the screen off.
• Earn a certificate upon completion.
• Over 5000 courses for you to explore!

Or continue reading below...

Download the app

After G, the sequence starts again at A. This pattern continues upward and downward across the staff and ledger lines.

Steps and Skips: How Notes Move

• Step = moving to the next adjacent line or space (e.g., from a line to the space right above it). Letter names move to the next letter (E to F, A to B, etc.).
• Skip = moving over one line or space (e.g., from a line to the next line). Letter names skip one letter (E to G, A to C, etc.).

On the staff, the pattern is consistent: lines and spaces alternate letter-by-letter. If you can name one note, you can find neighbors by steps and skips.

Quick Reference: Common Treble-Clef Staff Notes (No Guitar Yet)

For the five staff lines (bottom to top):

• Line 1: E
• Line 2: G
• Line 3: B
• Line 4: D
• Line 5: F

For the four staff spaces (bottom to top):

• Space 1: F
• Space 2: A
• Space 3: C
• Space 4: E

These are not “rules to memorize forever,” but useful anchors. You’ll also practice using steps and skips so you don’t rely only on memorization.

Guitar’s Octave Transposition: Written vs Sounding

Classical guitar uses a special convention: it is a transposing instrument at the octave. That means:

• What you read (written pitch) is one octave higher than what you actually hear (sounding pitch).
• In other words, the guitar sounds one octave lower than written.

This is done so guitar music fits neatly on the treble staff without excessive ledger lines. You still read treble clef normally; you simply understand that the instrument produces the pitch an octave lower.

What This Means When Matching Pitch to the Instrument

• If you play an open string while looking at its written note on the staff, the letter name matches (E is still E), but the register (octave) is lower than the written one.
• If you compare to a piano: the guitar’s open strings sound in a lower register than the same written notes would on the piano.

Reading Drill 1: Identify Notes on the Staff (No Guitar)

How to do this drill:

1. Pick a note on the staff.
2. Name it using line/space anchors.
3. Check by moving in steps: confirm the letters above and below.

Drill A (say the note names out loud):

• Bottom line → ?
• Second space → ?
• Top space → ?
• Third line → ?
• First space → ?

Answer key (hide this with your hand first):

• Bottom line = E
• Second space = A
• Top space = E
• Third line = B
• First space = F

Drill B (steps and skips):

• If a note is on the second line (G), what is the note one step up? one skip up?
• If a note is on the third space (C), what is the note one step down? one skip down?

Answer key:

• From G: one step up = A (second space), one skip up = B (third line)
• From C: one step down = B (third line), one skip down = A (second space)

Reading Drill 2: Match Written Notes to Guitar Open Strings

Now connect staff reading to the instrument using open strings. These are the easiest “landmarks” because they require no left-hand fingering.

Open Strings (Letter Names)

• 6th string (lowest): E
• 5th string: A
• 4th string: D
• 3rd string: G
• 2nd string: B
• 1st string (highest): E

Step-by-step drill:

1. Look at a written note name (or staff position).
2. Say the letter name.
3. Choose the open string with that letter name (if there are two Es, choose 6th or 1st as directed).
4. Play the open string and listen: remember it sounds an octave lower than written.

Drill C: Choose the Correct Open String

For each written note name, pick the open string number(s) that match.

• Written note: E → open string(s): ?
• Written note: A → open string(s): ?
• Written note: D → open string(s): ?
• Written note: G → open string(s): ?
• Written note: B → open string(s): ?

Answer key:

• E → 6th or 1st string
• A → 5th string
• D → 4th string
• G → 3rd string
• B → 2nd string

Quick Check: Written vs Sounding (Octave Transposition)

Use these examples to test your understanding: you will identify (1) the written note name and (2) what you actually hear relative to the written pitch.

Check 1: Open Strings

Check 2: Simple Staff Excerpts (Letter-Name Reading)

Read each excerpt as written (treble clef). Then match each note to an open string if possible.

Excerpt A (all open strings): E  D  G  B  A  E

• Match to strings: E(1st or 6th), D(4th), G(3rd), B(2nd), A(5th), E(1st or 6th)
• Sounding rule: every note you play sounds one octave lower than written

Excerpt B (mixed, check which are open strings): F  E  D  C  B

• Open-string matches: E(1st or 6th), D(4th), B(2nd)
• Non-open notes here: F and C (they require fretted notes, so you cannot play them as open strings)
• Sounding rule still applies to all notes you play on guitar, open or fretted: one octave lower than written