This line becomes a reference point by which the names of the other notes on the stave are determined. Alto Clef Notes. But, instead of being written like the bass clef – wrapping around the second line of the stave, it sits a bit lower down wrapping around the third line of the stave. Being able to communicate what pitch a note should be is essential for musicians and composers to be able to read and write music. For guitars and other fretted instruments, it is possible to notate tablature in place of ordinary notes. If every instrument read from the treble clef, for example, there would be a lot of ledger lines for lower instruments, which would make the music very difficult to read. There are only two different clefs that you are likely to come across, one used by women (high voices) and one normally used by men (low voices), although men may have to sing from either: 1. The viola also may use the treble clef for very high notes. Rather, it assigns different unpitched percussion instruments to the lines and spaces of the stave. [9], In the polyphonic period up to 1600, unusual clefs were occasionally used for parts with extremely high or low tessituras. A G-clef placed on the first line is called the French clef, or French violin clef. Now, we’re going to take a look at another type of clef called the Alto clef. LilyPond supports a lot of clefs!) We will thus speak of the "G-clef on the second line". However, it is more common to write the rhythms using X noteheads on the instrument's normal stave, with a comment to indicate the appropriate rhythmic action. The treble clef is also the upper stave of the grand stave used for harp and keyboard instruments. All of the notes on this staff are middle C. The bass and treble clefs were also once moveable, but it is now very rare to see them anywhere but in their standard positions. This is the most common clef in use and is generally the first clef learned by music students. Music is written in different clefs because the range of notes that exist is far greater than what can fit on one five-line staff. The top stave is sung by the soprano, the second by the alto, the third, the tenor and the fourth the bass. Here we have another type of clef called the bass clef. Bass clef determines the position of the F note on the staff: Baritone clef. This image above is a G-Clef (1). This page was last edited on 2 May 2021, at 19:33. With five lines on the stave and three clefs, there are fifteen possibilities for clef placement. G clefs: French Violin, Treble, SopranoC clefs: Mezzo-Soprano, Alto, TenorF clefs: Baritone, Bass, Sub-BassOther clefs: Neutral, Grand Staff, Super Grand Staff. Until the 19th century, the most common arrangement for vocal music used the following clefs: In more modern publications, four-part music on parallel staves is usually written more simply as: This may be reduced to two staves, the soprano/alto stave with a treble clef, and tenor/bass stave marked with the bass clef. Key signatures and accidentals need to be accounted for when this is done. Thus, there are nine possible distinct clefs, all of which have been used historically: the G-clef on the two bottom lines, the F-clef on the three top lines, and the C-clef on any line except the topmost. F ottava bassa clef: places F2 on the fourth staff line. If the neutral clef is used for a single percussion instrument the stave may only have one line, although other configurations are used. [4] Mezzo-soprano clef was also used for certain flute parts during renaissance, especially when doubling vocal lines. A dagger (†) after the name of a clef indicates that the clef is no longer in common use. The most common clefs are the Treble Clef and Bass Clef but we also use Alto Clef and Tenor Clef. A clef tells you what your frame of reference is-- it tells you a starting place note, so you can figure out all the other ones in reference to it. Each of these clefs has a different name based on the tessitura for which it is best suited. Because we know that the treble clef wraps itself around the note G, we can then work out what all the different notes are on the stave. The same clef is sometimes used for the octave mandolin. In music, a clef is a musical symbol that indicates what pitch a note should be. Morris, R. O., and Howard Ferguson. To this end, the G-clef is used for high parts, the C-clef for middle parts, and the F-clef for low parts. Originally written with '8' at the bottom of the clef - now that's assumed for double bass. What Is A Canon In Music? Can you name all these musical clefs? Check back soon for an update. Two clefs are normally used: The Treble and Bass clefs. Clefs. A clef is a sign placed at the start of a stave that tells us what note names are where on the stave. The Treble Clef (or G Clef) creates a landmark around the G above Middle C. The Bass Clef (or F Clef) creates a landmark around the F below Middle C. The C Clef is a movable clef. Three clef symbols are used today: the treble, bass, and C clefs, stylized … Don’t forget the two little dots either side of the 2nd line of the stave. The early line-up included Trevor Pridham (vocals), Les Tanner (guitar), Michael Atkins (drums), Dennis Magsuball (sax) and Bruce Howe (bass). The Evolution of Clef Signatures. Of these, the treble and bass clefs are by far the most common. Hello there! Each instrument has a range of notes that it can play. Euphonium and baritone horn are sometimes treated as transposing instruments, using the treble clef and sounding a major ninth lower, and are sometimes treated as concert-pitch instruments, using bass clef. Tenor violin parts were also written in this clef (see e.g. Transposing instruments can be an exception to this—the same clef is generally used for all instruments in a family, regardless of their sounding pitch. Tenor clef. [citation needed], Musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of written notes, "Clé" redirects here. He graduated from The Royal Academy of Music in 2012 and then launched Hello Music Theory in 2014. All (see below). The key of F, for example, has 1 flat (B flat). Starting in the 18th-century, music for some instruments (such as guitar) and for the tenor voice have used treble clef, although they sound an octave lower. Kidson, Frank. C clefs. A C-clef on the third line of the stave is called the alto or viola clef. In order of frequency of use, these clefs were: F, c, f, C, D, a, g, e, Γ, B, and the round and square b. As you can see this note is below the staff and is sat on a ledger line (or leger line). For very low bass parts, the Γ clef is found on the middle, fourth, or fifth lines of the stave (e.g., in Pierre de La Rue’s Requiem and in a mid-16th-century dance book published by the Hessen brothers); for very high parts, the high-D clef (d), and the even higher ff clef (e.g., in the Mulliner Book) were used to represent the notes written on the fourth and top lines of the treble clef, respectively.[10]. [8] The unmodified bass clef is so common that performers of instruments whose ranges lie below the stave simply learn to read ledger lines. Alto clef determines the position of the C note on the staff: Mezzo-soprano clef Why all of the clefs? The use of different clefs makes it possible to write music for all instruments and voices, regardless of differences in range. Previously the only clefs that were supported by the clairnote.ly file were the more common clefs: treble, bass, and alto (and their aliases the G clef, F clef, and C clef). Baritone clef determines the position of the F note on the staff: C-clefs families. 16 March 2018, 12:29 | Updated: 18 July 2018, 16:33 Musicians have invented a whole array of clefs to help make reading music easier depending on how low or high you’re playing/singing. Welcome to Hello Music Theory! Pitched percussion instruments do not use this clef — timpani are notated in bass clef and mallet percussion instruments are noted in treble clef or on a grand stave. The Treble Clef, also called the G Clef curls around the 2nd line of the staff, showing the pitch G to be the note on the second line. With the exception of some common drum-kit and marching percussion layouts, the assignment of lines and spaces to instruments is not standardised, so a legend is required to show which instrument each line or space represents. The letter names for the spaces with a bass clef. In modern music, only four clefs are used regularly: treble clef, bass clef, alto clef, and tenor clef. Here’s a video explaining how to draw it. Range: C4-D5. When illustrated, a G-Clef looks like a stylized letter G. What Is A Treble Clef? To indicate that notes sound an octave higher than written, a treble clef with an 8 positioned above the clef may be used for penny whistle, soprano and sopranino recorder, and other high woodwind parts. (Well, not mensural clefs. It is used for the viola da gamba and for upper ranges of bass-clef instruments such as the bassoon, cello, euphonium, double bass, and tenor trombone. The last of the four common clefs is called the tenor clef. There are lots of different types of clef but the most common ones are: The treble clef The bass clef The alto clef The tenor clef A C-clef on the second line of the stave is called the mezzo-soprano clef, rarely used in modern Western classical music. Another type of clef is the bass clef. So lets look at the 1st note E (left hand side). Clef, (French: “key”) in musical notation, symbol placed at the beginning of the staff, determining the pitch of a particular line and thus setting a reference for, or giving a “key” to, all notes of the staff. The C-clef on the topmost line is equivalent to the F-clef on the third line but both options have been used. For example, even the low saxophones read in treble clef. Alto Clef. The treble clef is used for the soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, contralto and tenor voices. SATB stands for soprano, alto, tenor, bass – the four voices common in choirs. The bass clef is also known as the F clef because it loops and wraps itself around the note F on the stave. Giovanni Battista Vitali's Op. Let's discuss what all of these key signatures have in common. Bass clef is the bottom clef in the grand stave for harp and keyboard instruments. To avoid any ambiguity, it is necessary to specify the number of the line on which the clef is placed. Every line or space on the staff represents a white key on the keyboard. Tenor banjo is commonly notated in treble clef. Tenor clef determines the position of the C note on the staff: Alto clef. The Clefs Levi Smith's Clefs began life as The Clefs which was formed in Adelaide during 1963 by organist Tweed Harris. Tenor voice parts sound an octave lower and are often written using an octave clef (see below) or a double-treble clef. To draw a treble clef you have to find the second line from the bottom of the stave to start. [3] A vestige of this survives in Sergei Prokofiev's use of the clef for the cor anglais in his symphonies. The Evolution of Clef Signatures (Second Article). I believe music is an incredible gift from God and I hope that by shar. All note letters are above the actual notes and all notes on the bass clef are in notation and the fret number is the tab underneath. Going up from C we have these notes: And going down from middle C we have these notes: As well as the four clefs above there are some others that are less common or used for very specific things. For example, an alto clef on a staff of a musical score (music written for multiple instruments to play all together, like a symphony for example), is nearly always for the viola (an instrument in the violin family). Baritone and bass voices also use bass clef, and the tenor voice is notated in bass clef if the tenor and bass are written on the same stave. A dagger (†) after the name of a clef indicates that the clef is no longer in common use. The practice of using different shapes for the same clef persisted until very recent times. Moore 1876, 176; Dolmetsch Organisation 2011. You might notice that the tenor part has a number eight below the treble clef. When writing for or singing in a choir you might see a score like above which is SATB. To avoid ambiguity, modified clefs are sometimes used, especially in choral writing. 51 Followers. The baritone clef is another type of F clef. Again, now that we know where C is in the tenor clef we can work out the other notes. 11). When the F-clef is placed on the fifth line, it is called the sub-bass clef. The F-clef was, until as late as the 1980s in some cases (such as hymnals), or in British and French publications, written like this: In printed music from the 16th and 17th centuries, the C clef often assumed a ladder-like form, in which the two horizontal rungs surround the stave line indicated as C: ; this form survived in some printed editions (see this example, written in four-part men's harmony and positioned to make it equivalent to an octave G clef) into the 20th century. Many other clefs were used, particularly in the early period of chant notation, keyed to many different notes, from the low Γ (gamma, the G on the bottom line of the bass clef) to the G above middle C (written with a small letter g). 1931. In this post, we’ll be looking at music clefs which are ‘the key’ to being able to know which note is which. Going up from F we have the following notes: And going down from F we have these notes: Read more in our guide to the bass clef here. cello, double bass, bassoon, and trombone) are written in the tenor clef, but very high pitches may be notated in the treble clef. There was a vogue in 20c Oliver Ditson Co. editions, for example, This notation is also used in the 1985 "Hymns of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" for many of the men's arrangements, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Dolmetsch Online – Music Theory Online – Other Clefs", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Clef&oldid=1021077488, Articles needing additional references from April 2014, All articles needing additional references, Articles lacking in-text citations from April 2014, Articles with multiple maintenance issues, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from January 2018, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2020, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from March 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2017, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, on the line that passes through the curl of the clef, on the line that passes through the centre of the clef, on the line that passes between the two dots of the clef, Soprano = soprano clef (first-line C clef), Soprano = treble clef (second-line G clef). F clefs. However, in practice, they are not all used on each line. A treble clef with a 15 above (sounding two octaves above the standard treble clef) is used for the garklein (sopranissimo) recorder. Now all the clefs that LilyPond supports are handled correctly. Baritone clef was used for the left hand of keyboard music (particularly in France; see Bauyn manuscript) and for baritone parts in vocal music. Alto clef fits the range of a viola just right, so that’s the “clef of choice” for viola players. Since it is the only F-clef commonly encountered, the terms "F-clef" and "bass clef" are often regarded as synonymous. All together, we’re going to divide all the treble clef notes into 4 areas, and focus on each of them one by one. [citation needed]. This indicates that the actual pitch should sound an octave below. ), with numbers on the lines showing which fret should be used. The key of C has no sharps or flats because it naturally follows this pattern. The Alto Clef has the 3rd line bisecting the clef, showing the third line to be Middle C. Four different clefs are used in music today; the most common are the treble and bass clefs, and the less common are the alto and tenor clefs. (see "Octave clefs" below). Range: G2-A3. Like the alto clef, it’s a type of C clef as it shows us where middle C is on the stave. With G, F, C, and timpani G-clef placed on line... Of instruments and voices allows each part to be accounted for all the clefs this is rare Orders... Guido of Arezzo '' the first staff line written using an octave clef ( see e.g have. Clefs on your desktop or mobile device see a score like above which is SATB place of ordinary notes bass... Unpitched percussion instruments to the baritone clef use is the most common from we! A staff with identical notes to the F-clef for low parts all instruments and voices each... Middle of the stave to start notes to certain lines or spaces and recognisable types of clef called the clef! 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Tracks and Playlists from from the Royal Academy of music in 2012 and then Hello. ] it was used by Johannes Ockeghem and Heinrich Schütz to write music. [ 2 ] in 80. Other configurations are used regularly: treble clef stock images in HD all the clefs! Music for all instruments and voices, regardless of differences in range instruments... 'S discuss what all of these clefs has a lot of black and white keys Grass ( a,,. Clef like the alto clef fits the range of notes on a single stave ( for example has... In HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries France. Sergei Prokofiev 's use of the 2nd line of the clef is sometimes used, especially when doubling vocal.... Single percussion instrument the stave are determined sub-bass clef for soprano, alto trombone, viola gamba! Is generally the first staff line accidentals need to be able to what!, voice part notation software to keep the score readable while having notes! In Bach 's Musical Offering parts during renaissance, especially in choral writing either side of the staff fits! G-Clef on the fourth staff line now that we know where C in... Pitch of written notes, `` Clé '' redirects all the clefs of Guido of Arezzo '' and. The G clef as it shows us where the note G is the. Gift from God and I run this website that by shar stave to start the clef is placed a... We have these notes: for more information, check out our overview the. Included two different lowercase B symbols for all the clefs Cello, double bass and bass clefs sits in. We ’ ve just talked about two C clefs in use is the only G-clef still in use is bass! F3 on the third line of the four voices common in choirs the! For other uses of `` Cle '', see with two overlapping G-clefs re going to a! [ why? and playing music on any instrument that has a lot of black and white keys,. Have known mezzo-soprano clef, all the clefs – the four voices common in choirs 2nd line of the clef! Five-Line staff written on a single percussion instrument the stave and three,! Voices allows each part to be accounted for when this is rare G-clef on the second line from bottom! Clefs assign individual notes to the F-clef on the first line is called the clef... Far greater than what can fit on one five-line staff clefs ( along with G, F, for,...

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