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The vertical axis clarifies the pitch of a note or what sound should be played. In the Western music tradition, pitches are labeled using the first seven letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. After G, the sequence repeats, creating a cycle that allows musicians to continuously navigate their musical landscape.
To practically examine pitch, we can use a piano as an example. Playing an F note at different octaves (higher or lower) produces sounds that remain fundamentally similar, particularly when compared to the leap to a B note. Each line and space of the staff corresponds to a specific pitch, enabling performers to interpret music accurately. The placement of notes on the staff indicates their respective pitches, with higher placements signaling higher notes.