Clef
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For other uses, see Clef (disambiguation).
Treble and bass clefs shown with names of the notes.
A clef (French: clef "key") is a musical symbol used to indicate the pitch of
written notes.[1] Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the stave, it indicates
the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by
which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the stave may be
determined. Only one clef that references a note in a space rather than on a line has
ever been used.
There are three types of clef used in modern music notation: F, C, and G. Each type
of clef assigns a different reference note to the line on which it is placed.
Clef Name Note Line
G-
G4 encircled by the curl of the clef.
clef
C-clef Middle C(C4) that passes through the centre of the clef.
F-clef F3 between the two dots of the clef.
1
Once one of these clefs has been placed on one of the lines of the stave, the other
lines and spaces can be read in relation to it.
The use of three different clefs makes it possible to write music for all instruments
and voices, even though they may have very differenttessituras (that is, even though
some sound much higher or lower than others). This would be difficult to do with only
one clef, since the modern stave has only five lines, and the number of pitches that
can be represented on the stave, even with ledger lines, is not nearly equal to the
number of notes the orchestra can produce. The use of different clefs for different
instruments and voices allows each part to be written comfortably on the stave with a
minimum of ledger lines. To this end, the G-clef is used for high parts, the C-clef for
middle parts, and the F-clef for low parts—with the important exception
of transposing parts, which are written at a different pitch than they sound, often
even in a different octave.
Contents
[hide]
1 Placement on the stave
2 Individual clefs
o 2.1 G-clefs
2.1.1 Treble clef
2.1.2 French violin clef†
o 2.2 F-clefs
2.2.1 Bass clef
2.2.2 Baritone clef†
2.2.3 Sub-bass clef†
o 2.3 C-clefs
2.3.1 Alto clef
2.3.2 Tenor clef
2.3.3 Baritone clef†
2.3.4 Mezzo-soprano clef†
2.3.5 Soprano clef†
3 Other clefs
o 3.1 Octave clefs
o 3.2 Neutral clef
o 3.3 Tablature
4 History
2
5 Further uses
6 See also
7 Notes
8 References
9 Further reading
[edit]Placement on the stave
In order to facilitate writing for different tessituras, any of the clefs may theoretically
be placed on any of the lines of the stave. The further down on the stave a clef is
placed, the higher the tessitura it is for; conversely, the higher up the clef, the lower
the tessitura.
Since there are five lines on the stave, and three clefs, it might seem that there
would be fifteen possible clefs. Six of these, however, are redundant clefs (for
example, a G-clef on the third line would be exactly the same as a C-clef on the first
line). That leaves nine possibledistinct 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 of the stave except the topmost, earning the name of "movable C-clef". (The
C-clef on the topmost line is redundant because it is exactly equivalent to the F-clef
on the third line; both options have been used.)
Each of these clefs has a different name based on the tessitura for which it is best
suited.
In modern music, only four clefs are used regularly: the treble clef, the bass clef,
the alto clef, and the tenor clef. Of these, the treble and bass clefs are by far the
most common.
[edit]Individual clefs
Here follows a complete list of the clefs, along with a list of instruments and voice
parts notated with them. Each clef is shown in its proper position on the stave,
followed by its reference note.
3
An obelisk (†) after the name of a clef indicates that that clef is no longer in common
use.
[edit]G-clefs
[edit]Treble clef
Diatonic scale on C, treble clef. Play(help·info)
When the G-clef is placed on the second line of the stave, it is called the treble clef.
This is the most common clef used today, and the only G-clef still in use. For this
reason, the terms G-clef and treble clef are often seen as synonymous. It was
formerly also known as the violin clef.[citation needed] The treble clef was historically used
to mark a treble, or pre-pubescent, voice part.
Among the instruments that use treble clef are the violin, flute, oboe, English horn,
all clarinets, all saxophones, horn, trumpet, cornet, euphonium (and
occasionally baritone), vibraphone, xylophone,Mandolin, recorder and guitar. Treble
clef is the upper stave of the grand stave used for harp and keyboard instruments. It
is also sometimes used, along with tenor clef, for the highest notes played by bass-
clef instruments such as the cello, double bass (which sounds an octave
lower), bassoon, and trombone. The viola also sometimes uses treble clef for very
high notes. Treble clef is used for the soprano, mezzo-
soprano, alto, contralto and tenor voices. The tenor voice sounds an octave lower,
and is often written using an octave clef (see below) or double-treble clef.
4
[edit]French violin clef†
Diatonic scale on C, French violin clef. Play (help·info)
When the G-clef is placed on the first line of the stave, it is called the French clef or
French violin clef.
This clef is no longer used. Formerly, it was used by the flute and violin, especially in
parts published in France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.[citation needed] It is
identical to the bass clef transposed up 2 octaves.
[edit]F-clefs
[edit]Bass clef
Diatonic scale on C, bass clef. Play(help·info)
5
When the F-clef is placed on the fourth line, it is called the bass clef. This is the only
F-clef used today, so that the terms "F-clef" and "bass clef" are often regarded as
synonymous.
This clef is used for the cello, euphonium, double bass, bass
guitar, bassoon,contrabassoon, trombone, baritone, tuba, and timpani. It is also used
for the lowest notes of the horn, and for the baritone and bass voices. Tenor voice is
notated in bass clef when the tenor and bass are written on the same stave. Bass
clef is the bottom clef in the grand stavefor harp and keyboard instruments. The
contrabassoon, double bass, tuba and electric bass sound an octave lower than the
written pitch.
[edit]Baritone clef†
Diatonic scale on C, baritone F-clef. Play (help·info)
When the F-clef is placed on the third line, it is called the baritone clef.
This clef was used for the left hand of keyboard music (particularly in France;
seeBauyn manuscript) as well as the baritone part in vocal music.
[edit]Sub-bass clef†
When the F-clef is placed on the fifth line, it is called the sub-bass clef. It is identical
to the treble clef transposed down 2 octaves.
6
This clef was used by Ockeghem and Heinrich Schütz to write low bass parts,
making a late appearance in Bach's Musical Offering.
[edit]C-clefs
[edit]Alto clef
Diatonic scale on C, alto clef. Play(help·info)
When the C-clef is placed on the third line of the stave, it is called the alto clef. As
with all C-clefs, this line indicates the position of middle C.
This clef (sometimes called the viola clef) is currently used for the viola, the viola da
gamba, and the alto trombone.[2] It is also associated with the countertenorvoice and
therefore called the counter-tenor (or countertenor) clef,[3] and is used also for
the alto voice and for instruments playing a middle part (such
as oboesand recorders).[citation needed] A vestige of this survives in Sergei Prokofiev's
use of the clef for the English horn, as in his symphonies. It occasionally turns up in
keyboard music to the present day (Brahms's Organ chorales, John
Cage's Dream for piano).
[edit]Tenor clef
7
Diatonic scale on C, tenor clef. Play(help·info)
When the C-clef is placed on the fourth line of the stave, it is called the tenor clef.
This clef is used for the upper ranges of the bassoon, cello, euphonium, double
bass, and trombone (which all use the bass clef in their lower and middle ranges,
and in their extreme high ranges, the treble clef as well). Formerly, it was used by
the tenor part in vocal music but its use has been largely supplanted either with an
octave version of the treble clef when written alone or the bass clef when combined
on one stave with the bass part. The double bass sounds an octave lower than the
written pitch.
[edit]Baritone clef†
Diatonic scale on C, baritone C-clef. Play (help·info)
Because it is equivalent to the F-clef on the third line, the C-clef on the fifth line
version of the baritone clef is a rarity.[citation needed]
[edit]Mezzo-soprano clef†
8
Diatonic scale on C, mezzo-soprano clef. Play (help·info)
When the C-clef is placed on the second line of the stave, it is called the mezzo-
soprano clef.
This clef was used in vocal music to write mezzo-soprano parts.[citation needed]
[edit]Soprano clef†
Diatonic scale on C, soprano clef. Play(help·info)
When the C-clef occurs on the first line of the stave, it is called the soprano clef.
This clef was used for the right hand of keyboard music (particularly in France;
see Bauyn manuscript) as well as in vocal music for sopranos; it is useful for reading
concert-pitch scores actually notated in treble clef, when playingtransposing
instruments like the clarinet in A.
[edit]Other clefs
[edit]Octave clefs
9
Three types of suboctave treble clef showing middle C
Diatonic scale on C, suboctave clef. Play (help·info)
Diatonic scale on C, "sopranino" clef. Play (help·info) (this is one octave higher
than the treble clef without an 8)
Starting in the 18th Century treble clef has been used fortransposing
instruments that sound an octave lower, such as the guitar; it has also been used for
the tenor voice. To avoid ambiguity, modified clefs are sometimes used, especially in
the context of choral writing; of those shown, the C clef on the third space, easily
confused with the tenor clef, is the rarest.
This is most often found in tenor parts in SATB settings, in which a treble clef is
written with an eight below it, indicating that the pitches sound an octave below the
written value. As the true tenor clef has generally fallen into disuse in vocal writings,
this "octave-dropped" treble clef is often called the tenor clef. The same clef is
sometimes used for the baritone horn. In some scores, the same concept is
construed by using a double clef—two G-clefs overlapping one another.
At the other end of the spectrum, treble clefs with an 8 positioned above the clef may
be used in piccolo, penny whistle, soprano recorder, and other high woodwind parts
and is sometimes known (informally) as the "sopranino clef".[citation needed]
The F clef can also be notated with an octave marker. The F clef notated an octave
down is sometimes used for contrabass instruments such as the double bass
and contrabassoon and, as the traditional subbass clef has fallen into disuse, that
term is sometimes[citation needed] used to describe this clef. The F clef notated an octave
up is used for bass recorder and sometimes, though seldom, used for countertenor
parts and called the countertenor clef,[citation needed] as it is easy for a bass or baritone to
read while singing the part in falsetto. However, both of these are extremely rare
(and in fact the countertenor clef is largely intended to be humorous as with the
works of P.D.Q. Bach). The unmodified bass clef is so common that performers of
instruments and voice parts whose ranges lie below the stave simply learn the
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number of ledger lines for each note through common use, and if a line's true notes
lie significantly above the bass clef the composer or publisher will often simply write
the part in either the true treble clef or notated an octave down.
[edit]Neutral clef
Simple quadruple drum pattern on a rockdrum kit. Play (help·info)
The neutral or percussion clef is not a clef in the same sense that the F, C, and G
clefs are. It is simply a convention that indicates that the lines and spaces of the
stave are each assigned to a percussion instrument with no precise pitch. With the
exception of some common drum-kit and marching percussion layouts, the keying of
lines and spaces to instruments is not standardized, so a legend or indications above
the stave are necessary to indicate what is to be played. Percussion instruments with
identifiable pitches do not use the neutral clef, and timpani (notated in bass clef)
and mallet percussion (noted in treble clef or on a grand stave) are usually notated
on different staves than unpitched percussion.
Staves with a neutral clef do not always have five lines. Commonly, percussion
staves only have one line, although other configurations can be used.
The neutral clef is sometimes used when non-percussion instruments play non-
pitched extended techniques, such as hitting the body of a violin, violoncello or
acoustic guitar, or when a vocal choir is instructed to clap, stomp, or snap, but more
often the rhythms are written with X marks in the instrument's normal stave with a
comment placed above as to the appropriate rhythmic action.
[edit]Tablature
11
Diatonic scale on C, guitar tablature and staff notation (suboctave is assumed).
Play (help·info)
For guitars and other fretted instruments, it is possible to notate tablature in place of
ordinary notes. In this case, a TAB-sign is often written instead of a clef. The number
of lines of the stave is not necessarily five: one line is used for each string of the
instrument (so, for standard six-stringed guitars, six lines would be used, four lines
for the traditional bass guitar). Numbers on the lines show on which fret the string
should be played. This Tab-sign, like the Percussion clef, is not a clef in the true
sense, but rather a symbol employed instead of a clef.
[edit]History
The clefs developed at the same time as the stave, in the 10th century.[citation
needed]
Originally, instead of a special clef symbol, the reference line of the stave was
simply labeled with the name of the note it was intended to bear: F and c (written as
a small letter, since the capital C represented a note an octave lower) and, more
rarely, g. These were the most often-used 'clefs', or litteræ-clavis (key-letters), in
Gregorian chant notation. Over time the shapes of these letters became stylized,
leading to their current versions.
Many other clefs were used, particularly in the early period of chant notation,
including most of the notes from the low Γ (gamma, the note written today on the
bottom line of the bass clef) up to the G above middle C, written with a small letter g,
and including two forms of lowercase b (for the note just below middle C): round for
B♭, and square for B♮. In order of frequency of use, these clefs
were: F, c, f, C, D, a,g, e, Γ, B, and the round/square b.[4]
Early forms of the G clef—the third combines the G and D clefs vertically
In the polyphonic period up to 1600, unusual clefs were used occasionally for parts
with extremely high or low written tessituras. For very low bass parts, the Γ clef is
12
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 ffclef (e.g., in the Mulliner
Book) were used to represent the notes written on the fourth and top lines of the
treble clef, respectively.[5]
Varying shapes of different clefs persisted until very recent times. The F-clef was,
until as late as the 1970s in some cases (such as hymnals), written like this: .
In printed music from the 16th and 17th centuries, the C clef often assumed a square
form, like this 1639 tenor clef (the written note is a low E): .
The C-clef was formerly written in a more angular way, sometimes still used, or an
even more simplified K-shape, when writing the clef by hand.
In modern Gregorian chant notation, the C clef is written (on a four-line stave) in the
form and the F clef as .
The flourish at the top of the G-clef probably derives from a cursive S for "sol", the
name for "G" in solfege.[6]
Vocal music can be contracted into two staves, using the treble and bass clefs.
Play (help·info)
C-clefs were formerly used to notate vocal music, a practice that dwindled away in
the late 19th century.[citation needed] The soprano voice was written in first-line C clef
(soprano clef), the alto voice in third-line C clef (alto clef), the tenor voice in fourth-
line C clef (tenor clef) and the bass voice in fourth-line F clef (bass clef).
In more modern publications, four-part harmony on parallel staves is usually written
more simply as:
Soprano = treble clef (second-line G clef)
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Alto = treble clef
Tenor = treble clef with an "8" below or a double treble clef
Bass = bass clef (fourth-line F clef)
This may be reduced to two staves, the soprano/alto stave with a treble clef, and
tenor/bass stave marked with the bass clef.
[edit]Further uses
Clef combinations played a role in the modal system toward the end of the 16th
century, and it has been suggested certain clef combinations in the polyphonic music
of 16th-century vocal polyphony are reserved for authentic (odd-numbered) modes,
and others for plagal (even-numbered) modes,[7][8] but the precise implications have
been the subject of much scholarly debate.[9][10][11][12]
Music can be transposed at sight if a different clef is mentally substituted for the
written one. For example, to play an A-clarinet part, a B♭-clarinet player may
mentally substitute tenor clef for the written treble clef. Concert-pitch music in bass
clef can be read on a E♭ instrument as if it were in treble clef. (Notes will not always
sound in the correct octave). The written key signature must always be adjusted to
the correct key for the instrument being played.
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