Day 22: All About That Bass Clef
While the treble clef is used to represent relatively high pitches, the bass clef is used to represent lower pitches. The bass clef is written like this (the two dots are important too):
Originally the Bass clef was part of a group of clefs known as the F clefs
. Just like the G clefs, the F clefs would be drawn higher or lower on the staff depending on what was necessary. The two dots of the symbol would indicate where the note F
is (specifically F3). Of course, once we determine where the note F
is, we can work out what the other notes are by counting up and down our musical alphabet.
The bass clef we use today is the F
clef written in such a way to mark the note F
on the 4th
line of the staff.
The bass clef and the note F
And the notes on the bass clef then become named so:
The tips for reading the treble clef quicker apply just the same for the bass clef. These notes spell the word FACE:
Bass clef notes on the spaces
And the notes on the lines spell out - G – B – D – F – A - which you might remember with the phrase ‘G
ood B
oys D
eserve F
un A
lways’:
Bass clef notes on the lines
Here is an example of a tune on the bass clef, originally for cello. Can you name all the notes?
Audio Example 22.1: Schubert - Symphony No. 8, 1st movement
The Grand Staff
Since it has so many keys (88 to be exact) the piano uses two staves. The bottom one is for the Bass clef, played by the left hand, and the top one is for the treble, played by the right hand. In music notation, the staves will be joined by a brace and so it becomes what is known as the grand staff
(or the great staff
).
Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 3
Other instruments that use the grand staff include other keyboards (such as the organ, celesta, and accordion) as well as the harp.
