Topmusicanswers
Different-pointing stems indicate the voice for polyphonic music written on the same staff. Within one voice, the stems usually point down for notes on the middle line or higher, and up for those below.
- What are the notation rules for stem direction?
- At which line in the staff do we change stem direction?
- What is the stem rule?
What are the notation rules for stem direction?
Single notes in single voices
If the note is above the middle line, its stem points downwards. If the note is below the middle line, its stem points upwards. If the note is on the middle line of the staff, its stem direction is determined by the stem directions of any adjacent notes, beam groups, or chords.
At which line in the staff do we change stem direction?
Rule #1. If the notehead of a music note is on the third line of the staff or above, the stems must go down on the left. (If you're not sure what the third line is, read more here about the lines and spaces.)
What is the stem rule?
The stem rule tells us which direction the stem of a music note must be written on the music staff. You may have noticed that sometimes you see stems going up for some notes and going down for others. This is not just random. There are two compositional rules musicians follow when writing notes on the staff.
