Writing on the stave.

My Son is home from school for the Christmas holiday, he takes piano lessons there and has come home this time with a knowledge of which notes make up the scale's of C maj, G maj, and D maj.

I encourage him to spend a little time practicing each day, and also have had him to write down the scale of Cmaj on the stave, from C below to middle C for the left hand on the base clef, and from middle C up to C for the right hand on the trble clef.

I know that for the right hand G maj will now start on the 2nd line of the the treble stave, but:

If I now ask him to write out G maj, starting with the left hand (in the same position - if thats the correct term), do I get him to start at G the fifth note of C Maj, which for the left hand will be in fourth space up of stave, and then continue up by adding 3 ledger lines to bass stave? or would it be a case of adding 2 ledger lines to the treble and starting under that?

I realise they are both the same note, but which would be the conventional way of writing it?

Thanks.

Michael (Not a pianist - but a self taught guitarist)

Your son sounds like a beginner. The point of the exercise is to learn the notes of the scales and the notes of the bass and treble staves. I would start on the bass staff an octave lower (bottom line of the staff) and go up an octave to the fourth space. At this point in time, the only ledger line I would introduce is middle C between the staves. Once the lines and spaces of the staffs are mastered, then I'd move on to ledger lines above and below.

If I have misjudged your son's experience and he has already mastered the notes on the staves, then by all means work on the ledger lines above the bass staff. - - Gary L. Reply to the Newsgroup for the benefit of all

Might as well let him write it from the low G (first line on the bass clef) to the G that's the fourth space on the bass clef. Using the leger lines may be a bit confusing.

Thanks for the reply's, we (I !) went for the ledger line route as he allready knows the notes on the stave.