The bass clef

Read and write notes in the bass clef and know when it is used.

The F clef

Low notes in the treble clef would need many ledger lines. That is why there is a bass clef. It is also called the F clef: its two dots sit on both sides of the fourth line (the second from the top), and the note on that line is F3.

Every other note follows from it: on the lines from the bottom up, G2, B2, D3, F3, A3; in the spaces, A2, C3, E3, G3.

The fourth line holds F3

Notes on the lines of the bass clef, from the bottom up

Notes in the spaces

In the bass clef a note is one letter lower than in the same place in the treble clef, and two octaves lower in sound. The bottom line of the treble staff is E4; of the bass staff, G2. Read the bass clef from its own landmarks rather than converting from the treble clef.

Practice: Where is F?

Practice: Read the notes

Practice: Write the notes

What the bass clef is for

The bass clef is used for low voices and instruments: the cello, the bassoon, the bass guitar, the left hand of the piano. C4 sits on the first ledger line above the bass staff, just as it sits on the first ledger line below the treble staff. This note joins the two clefs.

From C3 to C4 in the bass clef

The same notes on the keyboard: the octave below C4