How to Read Notes on the Treble Clef

Sunday, September 15, 2019 by Mary O'Connor | theory

 

This is the high notes' answer to "All About That Bass (Clef)". This video teaches the lines and space notes of the treble clef.

All About Clefs

Friday, August 16, 2019 by Mary O'Connor | theory

   

When my students are first working with the Grand Staff, they are often confused about the placement of the various clefs. 

In piano music, we generally use only the G-clef (Treble clef - not "trouble clef" as some think!) and the F-clef (Bass clef)  I try to show students how the curvy part of the G-clef wraps around the G above middle C and the F-clef looks sort of like an F marking the F below middle C.  I draw out G and F on the staff to show how these could have looked. 

Originally, instead of a special clef symbol, the reference line of the staff was simply labeled with the name of the note it was intended to bear: F and C and, more rarely, G. These were the most often-used 'clefs' in Gregorian chant notation.  Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe during the 9th and 10th centuries, with later additions and redactions. Over time the shapes of these letters became stylized, leading to their current versions. 

    

The Cool Bass Clef

Thursday, August 15, 2019 by Mary O'Connor | theory

      

An educational parody of Meghan Trainor's music "All About That Bass" that teaches the notes of the bass clef. 

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 Learn the notes of "The Cool Bass Clef" by watching this cool animated video. Music by Karl Hitzemann. Animation by Bill Belongia. 

The song originally appeared in Music K-8 magazine, Vol. 22, No. 3.