3.2.3 Staff groups

Music Glossary: brace, staff, system.

Piano music is typeset in two staves connected by a brace. Printing such a staff is similar to polyphonic music in multiple staves (see Multiple staves). However, now this entire expression is inserted into a PianoStaff context:

\new PianoStaff <<
  \new Staff …
  \new Staff …
>>

Here is a small example.

\new PianoStaff <<
  \new Staff \relative { \time 2/4 c''4 e | g g, | }
  \new Staff \relative { \clef bass c4 c' | e c | }
>>

Other staff groupings are introduced with \new GrandStaff, suitable for orchestral scores, and \new ChoirStaff, suitable for vocal scores. These staff groups each form another type of context, one that generates the brace at the left side of every system and also controls the vertical extent of bar lines.

See also

Notation Reference: Keyboard and other multi-staff instruments, Displaying staves.