Fundamentals
3 Reading Clefs
Chelsey Hamm
Key Takeaways
- Pitch in western musical notation is designated by the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, which repeat in a loop.
- Different clefs makes reading different ranges easier.
- The lowest line of a staff with a treble clef is E.
- The lowest line of a staff with a bass clef is G.
- The lowest line of a staff with an alto clef is F.
- The lowest line of a staff with a tenor clef is D.
In western musical notation, pitches are designated by the first seven letters of the Latin alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. After G these letter names repeat again, beginning with A, creating a loop: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, etc. This loop of letter names exists because musicians and music theorists today accept what is called octave equivalence, or the assumption that pitches separated by an octave should have the same letter name. More information about this concept can be found in the next chapter, The Keyboard and the Grand Staff.
This assumption varies with milieu. For example, some ancient Greek music theorists did not accept octave equivalence. These theorists used more than seven letters of the Greek alphabet to name pitches.
Reading Treble Clef
A clef indicates which pitches are assigned to the lines and spaces on a staff. One of the most commonly used clefs today is the treble clef . shows the letter names used for the lines of a staff when a treble clef is employed:
One mnemonic device that may help you remember this order of letter names is: Every Good Bird Does Fly (E, G, B, D, F). As seen in , the treble clef wraps around the ‘G’ line (the second line from the bottom). For this reason it is sometimes called the “G clef.”
shows the letter names used for the spaces of a staff with a treble clef:
Remembering that these letter names spell the word “face” may make identifying these spaces easier.
Reading Bass Clef
The other most commonly used clef today is the bass clef . shows the letter names used for the lines of a staff when a bass clef is employed:
One mnemonic device that may help you remember this order of letter names is: Good Bikes Don’t Fall Apart (G, B, D, F, A). As seen in
, the dot of the bass clef begins on the ‘F’ line (the second line from the top). For this reason it is sometimes called the “F clef.”shows the letter names used for the spaces of a staff with a bass clef:
The mnemonic device: All Cows Eat Grass (A, C, E, G) may make identifying these spaces easier.
Reading Alto Clef
A less commonly used clef today is the alto clef. shows the letter names used for the lines of a staff when an alto clef is employed:
One mnemonic device that may help you remember this order of letter names is: Fat Alley Cats Eat Garbage (F, A, C, E, G). As seen in
, the center of the alto clef is indented around the ‘C’ line (the middle line). For this reason it is sometimes called a “C clef.”shows the letter names used for the spaces of a staff with an alto clef:
The mnemonic device: Grand Boats Drift Flamboyantly (G, B, D, F) may make identifying these spaces easier.
Reading Tenor Clef
Another less commonly used clef today is the tenor clef. shows the letter names used for the lines of a staff when a tenor clef is employed:
One mnemonic device that may help you remember this order of letter names is: Dodges Fords And Chevrolets Everywhere (D, F, A, C, E). As seen in
, the center of the tenor clef is indented around the ‘C’ line (the second from the top line). For this reason it, along with the alto clef, is also sometimes called a “C clef.”shows the letter names used for the spaces of a staff with a tenor clef:
The mnemonic device: Elvis’s Guitar Broke Down (E, G, B, D) may make identifying these spaces easier.
Why are there Four Different Clefs?
In the next chapter, The Keyboard and the Grand Staff, we will see that having multiple clefs makes reading different ranges easier. The treble clef is typically used for higher voices and instruments, such as a flute, violin, trumpet, or soprano voice. The bass clef is usually utilized for lower voices and instruments, such as a bassoon, cello, trombone, or bass voice. The alto clef is primarily used for the viola, a mid-ranged instrument, while the tenor clef is sometimes employed in cello, bassoon, and trombone music (although the principal clef used for these instruments is the bass clef).
Ledger Lines (…again!)
When notes are too high or low to be written on a staff, small lines are drawn to extend the staff. You may recall from the previous chapter that these extra lines are called ledger lines. Ledger lines can be used to extend a staff with any clef. shows ledger lines above a staff with a treble clef:
Notice that each space and line above the staff gets a letter name with ledger lines, as if the staff were simply continuing upwards.
shows ledger lines below a staff with a bass clef:Notice that each space and line below the staff gets a letter name with ledger lines, as if the staff were simply continuing downwards.
- Tutorial on the Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines (musictheory.net)
- Treble Clef Flash Cards (theviolincase.com)
- Treble Clef Flash Cards (musicards.net)
- Printable Treble Clef Flash Cards (Samuel Stokes Music) (pages 3 to 5)
- Bass Clef Flash Cards (theviolincase.com)
- Bass Clef Flash Cards (musicards.net)
- Printable Bass Clef Flash Cards (Samuel Stokes Music) (pages 1 to 3)
- Alto Clef Flash Cards (theviolincase.com)
- Alto Clef Flash Cards (musicards.net)
- Printable Alto Clef Flash Cards (Samuel Stokes Music)
- Tenor Clef Flash Cards (musicards.net)
- Printable Tenor Clef Flash Cards (Samuel Stokes Music)
- Paced Game: Treble Clef (Tone Savvy)
- Paced Game: Bass Clef (Tone Savvy)
- Paced Game: Alto Clef (Tone Savvy)
- Paced Game: Tenor Clef (Tone Savvy)
Easy
Medium
- Worksheets in Treble Clef (.pdf)
- Treble Clef with Ledger Lines (.pdf)
- Worksheets in Bass Clef (.pdf, .pdf)
- Bass Clef with Ledger Lines (.pdf)
- Worksheets in Alto Clef (.pdf, .pdf)
- Worksheets in Tenor Clef (.pdf)
Advanced
- All Clefs (.pdf)
- Writing and Identifying Notes Assignment #1 (.pdf, .mscx)
- Writing and Identifying Notes Assignment #2 (.pdf, .mscx)
Refers to how "high" or "low" a sound is
A symbol placed on the left side of a staff, which indicates which notes are assigned to different lines and spaces
The span of notes a voice or instrument can sing or play
Also known as the "G" clef, a treble clef designates the lowest line of a staff as the pitch E4
Also known as the "F" clef, a bass clef designates the lowest line of a staff as the pitch G2
Also known as a "C" clef, an alto clef designates the lowest line of a staff as the pitch F3
Also known as a "C" clef, a tenor clef designates the lowest line of a staff as the pitch D3
The assumption that pitches separated by one or more octaves are musically equivalent (e.g. an octave above "A" is "A")
Two pitches with the same letter name (e.g. "C"), twelve half-steps apart
A physical and/or social setting
A technique used to aid memorization
Small lines written above or below a staff to extend the staff's range of notes