Learning Objectives

Clefs I: Introduction

Definition

By itself, the staff can only show us how high or low notes are in relationship to each other. It does not tell us exactly which pitches should be played. To indicate specific pitches, you need to add a clef to the beginning of the staff. A clef is a musical symbol that fixes a particular pitch onto a specific line or space on the staff.

Clef Names

The three most common types of clefs are The treble clef, the bass clef, and the C Clef. The alto and tenor clefs are two forms of the movable C clef. The interactive example below illustrates how each one of these clefs points to a particular line on the staff and assigns it a specific pitch (also highlighted on the piano below the staff). Be sure to click on each of the clefs listed in the "View" box on the right.

In the lessons that follow, we will examine each one of these clefs in turn, with particular focus on the treble and bass clefs.