Note Extension: Dots, Ties, Pitch and the Grand Stave

<h3>Stretching notes and finding their pitch</h3>Note extension means making a note last longer than its usual value. Two tools do this. A dot after a note adds half of its original value, so a dotted minim lasts three beats. A tie is a curved line joining two notes of the same pitch, making them sound as a single, longer note — two tied crotchets become one two-beat sound.Pitch is how high or low a note sounds. Higher-pitched notes sound bright and light; lower-pitched notes sound deep and heavy. We write pitch on the grand stave, a set of two staves used especially for piano. The treble staff on top carries higher notes (often the right hand) and the bass staff below carries lower notes (often the left hand).On the treble staff the lines from bottom to top are E G B D F ("Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit") and the spaces spell F A C E. On the bass staff the lines are G B D F A ("Good Boys Deserve Fruit Always") and the spaces A C E G ("All Cows Eat Grass"). Middle C sits between the two staves as the central reference point.<div class="callout">Kenyan context: When a music student in Eldoret plays a hymn on a keyboard, the right hand reads the treble staff for the melody and the left hand reads the bass staff for the chords. Middle C is the note they both find first to know where their hands sit.</div>