What is a stave?

In music notation, a stave (or staff) is a set of five horizontal lines and four spaces that is used to notate musical notes. Each line and space on the stave represents a specific pitch, and notes are placed either on the lines or in the spaces to indicate their pitch and duration.

The stave is typically used in conjunction with a clef symbol, which tells musicians which notes correspond to which lines and spaces on the stave. Common clefs include treble clef, bass clef, alto clef, and tenor clef.

Multiple staves can be stacked on top of each other to create a grand staff, which is commonly used in piano music to notate music for both hands simultaneously.

In addition to notes, the stave may also include other musical symbols such as key signatures, time signatures, dynamics markings, and articulations to provide further information to the musician about how the music should be performed.