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Free blank staff paper to print
Manuscript paper for writing your own music, ready to print on A4 or US Letter. Pick a size below, or make your own with the staff paper generator: treble, bass or alto clef, the common time signatures, bar lines, piano or guitar TAB, and your title at the top.
Blank staff paper in five sizes
Plain five-line staves with nothing drawn on them, so you can use any clef and any time signature. The size is the height of one staff, from the top line to the bottom line.
Standard: 12 staves
8 mm staff, like a music exercise book. The one most people want.
Ready ruled in 4/4
The clef and the 4/4 time signature are already drawn, with four bars on every line, so you only have to write the notes. Standard size.
Treble clef, 4/4: 12 staves
For a tune, a song, or any treble instrument: violin, flute, recorder, trumpet, guitar.
Piano grand staff, 4/4: 6 systems
Treble and bass clef joined by a brace, the way piano music is written.
Something else?
Bass or alto clef, 3/4 or 6/8, guitar TAB, more or fewer bars, your own title.
Make your own
Choose everything, see it as you go, then print it or save it as a PDF.
Printing it
- A4 or US Letter? A4 is the standard paper in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and most of the world. US Letter is for printers in the United States and Canada.
- Print at 100% (Actual size). The staves stay at least 15 mm from every edge, so nothing is cut off and the staff stays the size it says.
- Print a stack. Set the number of copies in the print box. Print double-sided and it makes a music book you can staple or hole-punch for a ring binder.
- Pencil works best. Write the notes in pencil, so mistakes rub out without tearing the paper.
Questions
What size staff paper should I use?
For most people, standard: 12 staves on a page with an 8 mm staff, the same as a music exercise book. Young children and anyone who writes big are better on extra large (7 staves) or large (10 staves). Small and extra small fit 14 or 16 staves on a page, for sketching lots of ideas or writing several parts.
Should I print it at actual size?
Yes. Choose the paper size that matches your printer (A4 in Australia and most of the world, US Letter in the United States and Canada) and print at 100% or Actual size. The staves stay at least 15 mm from every edge, so nothing gets cut off.
What does 4/4 mean on staff paper?
4/4 is the time signature: four crotchet (quarter note) beats in every bar. The 4/4 sheets have the clef and the 4/4 already drawn and four bars ruled on every line, so you only have to write the notes. There’s more in time signatures in our music theory guide.
Can I use the staff paper for my students or my school?
Yes. Print as many copies as you like for yourself, your students, a class or a choir. It’s free, with nothing to sign up for.