leger line

9.5

A short line written above or below the music staff to show notes outside its range

noun
/ˈleɪdʒər laɪn/

: línea adicional

A leger line helps musicians read notes outside the staff.

Examples

The high C in this piece is written above a leger line.
The composer used a leger line to show the note above the staff.
If you see many leger lines, playing the passage will require special attention.
The leger lines indicate notes that are too high or too low.
A leger line is used to notate notes that extend beyond the upper range of the staff.
Musicians quickly recognize that leger lines are essential for playing notes outside the staff.
In this score, the note is placed on a leger line to indicate its high pitch.

Synonyms

ledger line

vsleger line

Specialized

7.7

A short line above or below the staff showing notes outside the staff

is the alternative spelling with the same meaning and usage

Surface Forms

leger line singular

leger lines plural

Morphology

leger + line

This is a specialized musical term: the meaning 'short line above or below the staff' is not transparently built from the common noun 'line' combined with 'leger', which is not a familiar English lexical item for B1 learners (and is often absent from general dictionaries). Because one constituent is opaque/unfamiliar and the overall sense is technical and language-specific, a learner who only knows the surface words would not reliably infer the meaning.

Etymology

Leger line is a noun for a tiny extra line, the small leger, written above or below the five main music lines where notes usually sit. Think of it as a little platform that 'supports' a note when it cannot sit on the regular lines, so a leger line 'shows' notes beyond the usual five lines.