Notation & Symbols

Ledger Line

Definition

A ledger line is a short extra line drawn above or below the staff for a note that is too high or too low to fit on the five lines. Each one extends the staff by one line.

A ledger line (also spelled leger line) is a short horizontal line that extends the staff for a single note. It sits the same distance from the staff as the staff lines are from each other, so the pattern simply carries on: line, space, line, space, each position the next letter name.

Two treble-clef staves in 4/4, each with four quarter notes and a letter under each note. The first climbs above the staff: G, A, B, C, using one and then two ledger lines. The second descends below the staff: D, C, B, A, using one and then two ledger lines. — Left: climbing above the treble staff, G sits in the space over the top line, A on the first ledger line, B just above it and C on the second ledger line. Right: going down, D sits just below the bottom line, middle C on the first ledger line, then B and A, which sits on the second ledger line.

How to read ledger lines

Count from a staff line you already know. In the treble clef the top line is F, so the space just above it is G, the first ledger line above is A, the space above that is B, and the second ledger line is C. Going down, the bottom line is E, the space just below it is D, and the first ledger line below is middle C.

The bass clef works the same way. Its top line is A, so the first ledger line above it is middle C; its bottom line is G, so the first ledger line below is E and the second is C.

Rather than counting every time, learn a few landmark notes by sight:

Middle C: one ledger line below the treble staff, or one above the bass staff.
High C (C6): two ledger lines above the treble staff.
Low C (C2): two ledger lines below the bass staff.

How ledger lines are drawn

A ledger line is only a little wider than the notehead. It never runs across the whole staff.
A note needs every ledger line between it and the staff. A note sitting just above the second ledger line still shows both lines beneath it.
The space right next to the staff needs no ledger line at all. G just above the treble staff, or D just below it, simply touches the outer staff line.

When there are too many

Beyond three or four ledger lines, notes become slow to read. Composers then change clef, or write the passage an octave lower or higher under an ottava sign (8va or 8vb). In piano music, notes around middle C can often move to the other staff of the grand staff instead.

Practice with Ledger Lines and Name the notes: ledger lines.

Common questions

Is it ledger line or leger line?

Both spellings are in use and mean the same thing. Ledger is the more common spelling in American books; leger appears in many British ones.

How many ledger lines can a note have?

There is no fixed limit, but past three or four lines notes are hard to read at a glance, so composers usually change clef or use an ottava (8va or 8vb) sign instead.