Piano: grand staff with two treble clefs. Where to place hands?
I'm very new at playing the piano and would love to play an easy version of Clair de lune. Please see the sheet below.
I get stuck right at the very beginning.
I think I have figured out that 'double hash' notation - apparently this means 'D major scale'. But the fact that this grand staff has two treble clefs confuses me. Where do I place my hands to play this? And does this phenomenon have a name so I could google for more information?
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One's hands are always placed over the notes one is going to play. Otherwise one's fingers won't reach!! So, in this case, both hands are further to the right than usual, as the tune is written higher than normal, shown by two treble clefs. The theory is that it's easier to read than looking at lots of ledger lines. Don't think there's a specific term for it.
The lower staff is usually written in bass clef, but not always. The upper staff is usually written in treble clef, but not always. The reason that the lower staff starts in the treble clef is exactly what Tim says. Whatever works best is whatever clef is used. Also, the lower staff of the two usually is played by the left hand, but not always. Vice versa with the upper staff.
In this particular case, start with the fingerings that are written in the music. Play the lower staff with the left hand, and the upper with the right. Keep in mind that the fingerings are suggestions. If they work for you, then save yourself some time and use them. If they don't, then experiment with different fingerings until you come up with something that does.
Generally, the right hand plays the notes on the upper staff and the left hand the notes on the lower. Clefs are usually chosen to reduce the number of ledger lines. This should work well in your example.
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