Learning Objectives
- Learn how the bass clef works.
- Identify (and memorize) the pitches on the bass staff.
Clefs III: The Bass Clef
Bass Clef
The bass clef is used for low-pitched instruments such as the double bass, trombone, tuba, bassoon, cello, and electric bass, and for the left-hand part in keyboard music.
The bass clef fixes the F below middle C onto the fourth line of the staff (click "Show Me" in the example below). Notice how the two dots of the clef are positioned on either side of the F line. From the F line, the names of all of the other lines and spaces can be determined in consecutive ascending or descending order.
| The bass clef and the F line |
The bass clef is also known as the "F Clef," since it has its origins in a stylized version of the letter F (as illustrated in the example below). Notice again how consecutive letter names occupy consecutive lines and spaces in the bass staff, ascending from G on the bottom line to A on the top line. This example also demonstrates how the notes on the bass staff correspond to specific keys on the keyboard. After watching the animation, click on the keyboard or on the staff to see the correspondence between the keys of the keyboard and the notes on the staff.
| The bass clef and the keyboard |
Music Example
Johann Sebastian Bach's (1685-1750) Suite no. 1 for Unaccompanied Cello illustrates the use of the bass clef. Click on the speaker to hear the music played.
Mnemonics
As with the treble clef, mnemonics can be used to memorize the lines and spaces of the bass clef. The mnemonics most commonly used for the bass clef are "Good Boys Do Fine Always" and All Cows Eat Grass, representing the lines and spaces of the bass staff respectively.
| Remember |
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The full range of pitches on the bass staff ranges from octave 2 through octave 3 to octave 4, as shown in the example below.
Take a minute to commit these pitches to memory. As with the treble clef, your goal should be to be able to read the pitches of the bass clef fluently. Be sure to learn the octave numbers as well as the pitch names.