Why they exist
A five-line staff covers only nine notes: five lines and four spaces. Most instruments play far more than that. Instead of adding permanent lines that would make music hard to read, composers add ledger lines (also spelled leger lines) only where a note needs them. Each ledger line continues the staff’s spacing: the next line or space above the top line, or below the bottom line.
How to read them
Count up or down from a note you know, alternating line, space, line, space. On the treble staff the top line is F, so the space above it is G, the first ledger line above is A, the space above that is B, and the second ledger line is C. Below the treble staff, the space under the bottom line (E) is D, and the first ledger line below is middle C.
| Position | Treble staff | Bass staff |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd ledger line above | C6 | E4 |
| 1st ledger line above | A5 | C4 (middle C) |
| 1st ledger line below | C4 (middle C) | E2 |
| 2nd ledger line below | A3 | C2 |
Experienced readers learn a few landmark notes, like middle C and the C two ledger lines above the treble staff, and count from those.
Writing ledger lines neatly
- Keep them the same distance apart as the staff lines.
- Make each ledger line only a little wider than the note head.
- Draw ledger lines only up to the note: a note in the space above the first ledger line needs one ledger line, not two.
- If a passage needs more than three or four ledger lines for a long time, consider an octave sign (8va) or a clef change instead.
Leave extra room between staves when you expect ledger lines; choose fewer staves per page on staff paper.
In practice
A flute player reading a high passage and a cellist reading a low passage both run out of staff. Ledger lines extend the same five-line pattern just far enough for those notes, without adding permanent lines to every other measure.
Common mistakes
| Problem | Usually because | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The note is one step off | Counting started on the wrong line | Count line–space–line from the staff edge |
| Ledger lines look messy | They are wider than the note | Draw a short line just past the note head |
| Spacing becomes uneven | Lines were drawn freehand | Use staff paper and match the staff spacing |
Staff paper