Every Good Boy Does Fine: sayings for note names

“Every Good Boy Does Fine” is a saying for the five lines of the treble clef. The first letters, E, G, B, D, and F, are the notes on the lines, from the bottom up. Sayings of this kind help a beginner to name notes. This page lists the common ones for each clef and explains when to let them go.

The sayings at a glance

Clef	Lines, from the bottom	Spaces, from the bottom
Treble	E G B D F: Every Good Boy Does Fine	F A C E: the word “face”
Bass	G B D F A: Good Boys Do Fine Always	A C E G: All Cows Eat Grass
Alto	F A C E G: “face,” with a G on the end	G B D F: Good Boys Do Fine

Other versions

The words change from place to place. Only the first letters matter.

• For the treble lines, some people say “Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.” In Britain, the last word is often “Favour” or “Football.”
• For the bass lines, some people say “Great Big Dogs Fight Animals.”
• For the bass spaces, some people say “All Cars Eat Gas.”

Make up your own

A saying that a child invents can be easier to remember than one from a book. Give your child the letters, and ask for a silly sentence.

• E G B D F
• G B D F A
• A C E G

Write the winner on a card and keep it on the music stand.

How to use a saying

1. Decide whether the note is on a line or in a space. A line note has a line through its middle. A space note sits between two lines.
2. Count up from the bottom line or the bottom space.
3. Say the words while you count, one word for each line or space.

The bottom is the place to start. Lines and spaces are always counted from the bottom up.

The limits of sayings

A saying is slow. To name one note, a child has to count through the whole sentence. That is fine in the first weeks, and too slow for real playing.

Sayings also stop at the edge of the staff. They do not cover the notes on ledger lines. Read ledger lines explained.

What teachers use next

Many teachers move a student from sayings to landmarks and steps.

Landmarks. A few notes are learned by heart: middle C, the G that the treble clef curls around, and the F between the two dots of the bass clef. Read middle C: where it is and why it matters.

Steps and skips. From a landmark, the child reads the distance to the next note. A move from a line to the next space is a step. A move from a line to the next line is a skip. A player who reads this way does not need to name every note.

Flashcards. A minute a day with cards makes note names quick. The goal is to name each note at a glance.

One staff, seven letters

Music uses seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. After G, the letters start again at A. Notes go up the staff in letter order, from a line to the next space to the next line.

That is why the sayings skip letters. The lines alone are every second letter: E, G, B, D, F.

Things to do together

Spell a word. Write “face,” “bead,” “cage,” and “egg” as notes on the staff.

Saying contest. Each person in the family invents a saying for E G B D F. Vote for the best.

Beat the clock. Time ten flashcards. Try to beat the time the next day.

Line or space? Point to a note. Your child answers “line” or “space” before naming it.

Print and play

Print the note name flashcards, the treble clef note chart, and the bass clef note chart. Try the note name trainer. For more ways to practice, read note reading games for kids and how to read music for parents.