# Treble Clef Notes: Chart, Memory Tricks and Ledger Lines

> Every treble clef note from middle C to high C: the lines E G B D F, the spaces F A C E, ledger notes above and below, a full chart and the most common mix-ups.

Source: https://everygoodnote.com/blog/treble-clef-notes/ · Updated 2026-11-11 · By EveryGoodNote

## Quick answer

The treble clef (G clef) has five lines and four spaces, each named after a letter:

- **Lines, bottom to top: E G B D F** (*Every Good Boy Does Fine*).
- **Spaces, bottom to top: F A C E** (spells *face*).
- **Middle C (C4)** sits on one ledger line below the staff, with **D** in the space just under the bottom line.
- Above the top line come **G** in the space, then **A** on the first ledger line.

The clef's curl wraps around the second line, which is **G4**, the G just above middle C.

The treble clef is the top staff in piano music and the one most beginners learn first. It usually shows the notes for your right hand, including most melodies. This page covers every treble clef note from middle C up to high C, with the memory tricks that help on day one and the landmarks that help you read fast after that.

If you are brand new to reading music, start with the [beginner's guide to reading piano notes](/blog/how-to-read-piano-notes/) and come back here for the detail.

## The treble clef is a G clef

The treble clef marks where **G** lives. Its curl wraps around the **second line from the bottom**, and that line is the G just above middle C, called **G4**. That is why the treble clef is also called the **G clef**. The symbol grew out of a decorated letter G. Whenever you are unsure of a treble note, find the line the curl wraps around and count from there.

This one fact is enough to work out every other note. Each step up the staff, from a line to the next space or a space to the next line, is the next letter of the musical alphabet. So the space above G is A, the line above that is B, and so on.

## Treble clef lines: E G B D F

**The five treble clef lines, from bottom to top, are E, G, B, D and F.** The classic phrase is *Every Good Boy Does Fine*. Other common versions are *Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge* and *Elephants Got Big Dirty Feet*. Pick whichever one you remember.

> **Diagram (treble clef):** Treble clef lines: Every Good Boy Does Fine. Notes shown, left to right: E (E4), G (G4), B (B4), D (D5), F (F5).
The lines skip every other letter. E to G skips F, G to B skips A, and so on. That skip is the gap between two lines, and the skipped letter sits in the space between them.

> Drill the five treble lines until you can name them without reciting the phrase.: [Practise treble lines](https://everygoodnote.com/play/?level=tlines)
## Treble clef spaces: F A C E

**The four treble clef spaces, from bottom to top, are F, A, C and E.** They spell *face*, which makes them the easiest group on the whole staff to remember.

> **Diagram (treble clef):** Treble clef spaces spell FACE. Notes shown, left to right: F (F4), A (A4), C (C5), E (E5).
The C in the third space is **C5**, one octave above middle C. It is the middle of the treble staff and a useful landmark in its own right.

> Now the spaces. Aim for quick, confident answers before speed.: [Practise treble spaces](https://everygoodnote.com/play/?level=tspaces)
## Treble clef notes chart from C4 to C6

Here is every white-key note on and around the treble staff, from middle C (C4) up to the C two octaves above it (C6). The staff covers E4 to F5, and the notes outside it use short **ledger lines**.

> **Diagram (treble clef):** Treble clef chart, lower half: middle C (C4) up to C5. Notes shown, left to right: C (C4), D (D4), E (E4), F (F4), G (G4), A (A4), B (B4), C (C5).
> **Diagram (treble clef):** Treble clef chart, upper half: C5 up to C6 on the second ledger line. Notes shown, left to right: C (C5), D (D5), E (E5), F (F5), G (G5), A (A5), B (B5), C (C6).
Read across both diagrams and you will see the pattern never changes: line, space, line, space, one letter at a time. The same pattern carries on past the edges of the staff, which is all a ledger line is.

## Notes just below the staff: middle C and D

**Below the bottom line (E4) comes D4 in the space, then middle C (C4) on one ledger line.** These two notes appear constantly in beginner music because they sit right under the right hand's starting position.

> **Diagram (treble clef):** Below the treble staff: E on the bottom line, D in the space below, middle C on a ledger line, B under that. Notes shown, left to right: B (B3), C (C4), D (D4), E (E4).
D4 hangs just under the bottom line with no ledger line of its own. Beginners often read it as E or C, so look closely: if the note touches the bottom line from underneath, it is D.

Go further down and you reach B3 in the space below middle C, then A3 on a second ledger line. You will see these less often, because the bass staff usually takes over below middle C. The [ledger lines guide](/blog/ledger-lines/) covers them in detail.

## Notes just above the staff: G, A, B and C

**Above the top line (F5) comes G5 in the space, then A5 on the first ledger line, B5 above it, and C6 on the second ledger line.**

> **Diagram (treble clef):** Above the treble staff: G in the space, A on the first ledger line, C on the second. Notes shown, left to right: F (F5), G (G5), A (A5), B (B5), C (C6).
The same counting works here as below the staff. Ledger lines continue the staff's line pattern, so the lines above F are A, C and E, skipping a letter each time. Two ledger lines above the treble staff is always C.

> **Keyboard diagram:** The treble chart on the keyboard: middle C, treble G, C5 and high C (C6). Highlighted keys: C4 G4 C5 C6.
## Treble clef landmarks

Memory phrases are useful at first, but reciting *Every Good Boy* for each note is slow. Fluent readers know a few **landmark notes** on sight and count a step or two from them.

| Landmark | Position | Why it stands out |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Middle C (C4) | One ledger line below | The meeting point of the two staves |
| G4 | 2nd line | The clef curls around it |
| C5 | 3rd space | Centre of the staff |
| F5 | Top line | Last line of the staff |
| C6 | 2nd ledger line above | Two lines above the staff |

> **Diagram (treble clef):** Five treble landmarks. Every other note is a step or skip from one of these. Notes shown, left to right: C (C4), G (G4), C (C5), F (F5), C (C6).
Pick one landmark a day and find it in a piece of music. Then name the notes either side of it. After a week, most notes on the staff will be one step from something you know instantly.

## Printable summary table

Keep this table next to your piano while you learn. It lists every position from the second ledger line below to the second ledger line above.

| Position | Note | Pitch name |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2nd ledger line above | C | C6 |
| Space above 1st ledger line | B | B5 |
| 1st ledger line above | A | A5 |
| Space above the staff | G | G5 |
| 5th line (top) | F | F5 |
| 4th space | E | E5 |
| 4th line | D | D5 |
| 3rd space | C | C5 |
| 3rd line (middle) | B | B4 |
| 2nd space | A | A4 |
| 2nd line | G | G4 |
| 1st space | F | F4 |
| 1st line (bottom) | E | E4 |
| Space below the staff | D | D4 |
| 1st ledger line below | C | C4 (middle C) |
| Space below 1st ledger line | B | B3 |
| 2nd ledger line below | A | A3 |

Lines and spaces are always counted from the **bottom** of the staff, so the "1st line" is the lowest one.

## Common confusions

- **Mixing up lines and spaces.** A line note has the line running through its middle. A space note sits between two lines and touches both. When in doubt, look at whether a line cuts the note in half.
- **Reading D4 as E4.** D hangs below the bottom line. E has the bottom line through it.
- **Reading G5 as F5.** G sits on top of the top line. F has the top line through it.
- **Mixing up middle C and A5.** Both sit on one ledger line. Middle C is below the staff, A5 is above it.
- **Using treble names on the bass staff.** The same positions have different letters in bass clef: the bottom line is E in treble and G in bass. See [bass clef notes](/blog/bass-clef-notes/) for the full chart.
- **Forgetting the key signature.** If there is a sharp or flat at the start of the line, it changes every note of that letter. The guide to [sharps and flats on the staff](/blog/sharps-and-flats-on-the-staff/) explains how.

## How to practise treble clef notes

Learn the staff in small groups and move on once each group is reliable:

1. Middle C to G (C4, D4, E4, F4, G4). This is the right hand's first five-finger position.
2. The five lines.
3. The four spaces.
4. The whole staff mixed together.
5. The first ledger notes above and below.

A few minutes a day works better than one long session. Say each note name out loud, then play it, so the name, the position on the staff and the key on the piano all link together. When you can name single notes comfortably, try reading a simple tune such as [Ode to Joy](/blog/ode-to-joy-piano-notes/), whose beginner version in C uses only the five notes from middle C to G.

> Ready for the full treble staff, including the first ledger lines above and below?: [Practise the whole treble staff](https://everygoodnote.com/play/?level=treble)

## Frequently asked questions

### What are the notes on the treble clef lines?

From bottom to top the treble clef lines are E, G, B, D and F. The usual memory phrase is Every Good Boy Does Fine.

### What are the notes in the treble clef spaces?

From bottom to top the treble clef spaces are F, A, C and E, which spells the word FACE.

### Where is middle C on the treble clef?

Middle C sits on a short ledger line just below the treble staff. The note in the space between that ledger line and the bottom line is D.

### Why is the treble clef called the G clef?

Its curl wraps around the second line from the bottom, and that line is G. The symbol grew out of a decorated letter G.

### What note is on the first ledger line above the treble staff?

A. The top line is F, the space above it is G, and the first ledger line above is A (A5). The second ledger line above is C (C6).