Are You Afraid of Heights!!

Musical notes are written 

1. on the set of 5 lines and 4 spaces called the Staff or Stave and

2. around the lines above or below  the stave called Ledger Lines

If you insert a treble clef on the picture above, the first note is called D and is above the 9th ledger line. Doesn't it look high. The second note written on the stave is also called D and is a little scared of D1!!

Some people play instruments which use treble clef signs on the music. Others use the bass clef. And each instrument has a specific note range and hence the number of ledger lines varies . For example a flutes usual range of notes is three octaves starting at middle C. However it can produce  a high G sound  is on the 7th ledger line above the treble stave.

Reading notes on the stave seem easier because they are generally learnt first and hence a lot of music written and played for this range of notes. More experienced players get to play ledger lines but if you are not reading them much in the music you play then they are hard to remember . Is it an E or a G? this is more difficult when sight reading fast passages.I can fully empathise with D2 ( picture above )!!

Do you like ledger lines?

Are you afraid of heights?

Longest Place Name

The longest place-name in use in the world is Taumatawhakatangihangakoauaotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, the official 85 letter version of the name of a hill 305m above sea level in the southern Hawkes Bay district of the North Island in New Zealand.

The Maori translation means "The place where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, who slid, climbed and swallowed mountains, known as landeater, played his Kaouau ( Maori Flute) to his loved one"

A Kaoaua is a cross-blown flute carved from bone, wood or stone. It has  a large musical range depending on the material used.

This hilltop is situated 6 kilometres away from Porangahau and is a moderate 3 hour walk to do.