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Course: Music > Unit 1
Lesson 2: Reading music- Lesson 1: Staff, names of notes, treble clef
- Lesson 2: Ledger lines and the octave
- Lesson 3: Bass clef, grand staff and the octave
- Lesson 4: Reading music in treble clef and the C Major scale
- Lesson 5: C Major scale in bass clef and reading in bass clef
- Lesson 6: Alto and tenor clefs.
- Lesson 7: Accidentals
- Lesson 8: Natural sign, more on accidentals and key signature
- Lesson 9: More on sharps and flats
- Lesson 10: Chromatic scales and the half step
- Glossary of musical terms
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Lesson 3: Bass clef, grand staff and the octave
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- Is there a clef higher than the treble clef? Because on my clarinet the notes can go many ledger lines up.(13 votes)
- Theoretically, you can put any clef on any line. From a practical point of view, treble clef works best for Bb and A clarinets. With some practice, reading notes on ledger lines above or below the staff is not difficult; the key word is practice.(11 votes)
- So what are some of the other clefs, besides bass and treble clef?(4 votes)
- Double treble clefs mean an octave lower than regular treble clef, used sometimes for choir tenors. Today we just put a little "8" under he clef to mean the same thing.(4 votes)
- Is there always 8 notes in an octave?(2 votes)
- Hello Sharna,
This is an excellent math question!
Yes, there is very specific relationship between the notes in our musical scales. If you are curious about one such relationship please take a look here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_root_of_two
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave
Regards,
APD(5 votes)
- Would an E placed two ledger lines above the five lines of the bass staff be identical in pitch to the E on the lowest line of the treble staff, or is there a difference between the two?(2 votes)
- They would be the same. The E might be written on the bass staff because it is part of a melody which is played or sung mostly in the bass staff. Or, if it is piano music, it might be supposed to be played with the left hand.(4 votes)
- So the Grand Staff is the 2 clefs combined or more is still call Grand Staff?(3 votes)
- The Grand Staff is a bracketed system with the top stave having a treble clef and the the bottom stave having a bass clef. It is most often used for piano notation but can also be used as a system for part reduction of a large ensemble. If we have more than three independent voices (or instruments), then the staff system will be named to reflect the type of ensemble. Here is a screen shot of a quartet score. http://www.virtualsheetmusic.com/images/first_pages/BIG/Debussy/DStringQuartetALLFirst_BIG.gif
Even though this has more staves, it is no longer called a Grand Staff, and would simply be a string quartet score staff system. Hope this helps.(2 votes)
- How many can ledger lines can there be?(2 votes)
- There can be as many ledger lines as wanted or needed. This place explained it very well http://www.allaboutmusictheory.com/ledger-lines/(4 votes)
- the viola lower than the violin but higher than the cello. So what clef does it play in?(2 votes)
- Where can you make notes on the computer?(1 vote)
- There is a program called Sibelius. Better get Sibelius 6. It is a program where you can compose your music on the computer. Our family uses it, and it is very cool! Try it out!(2 votes)
- What is an open E? Read a lot about blues music in open e.(2 votes)
- On a string instrument, and "open" note is just playing the string with no fingers placed down. Violins and Basses can play open E's. My guess it would be something about Basses playing open E's?(2 votes)
- I am a bassonist and i am suprisingly confused about the alto clef, what is it?(1 vote)
- The alto clef is one of the less-known clefs. It, along with the tenor clef, was "invented" to help eliminate multiple added bar lines above or below the staff. Being a cellist, I have more experience with the tenor clef, but I would assume that the alto clef is for places that have several notes a good deal lower than the main treble clef. (The tenor clef is for multiple notes far above the bass clef.)(2 votes)
Video transcript
- [Teacher] The other
most commonly used clef is the bass clef, used
for the bass instruments like the trombone, tuba, bassoon, cello, string bass, and the
bass notes on the piano. First we begin with the five
horizontal lines of the staff. And then add the bass clef to
the beginning of that staff. The lowest space is an A. As we ascend from that
space to the second line, and then to the second space and upwards, we once again spell out the
seven letters of the alphabet. A, B, C, D, E, F, G. With the top line repeating
the pattern with an A. Once again the low A to the upper A is eight steps or an octave. Now notice the two small dots
on the right side of the clef. These dots are on either
side of the fourth line where the F sits therefore the bass clef
is also called an F clef. Continuing to ascend beyond
the A on the top line is a B. If we add a ledger line, we now have a C. Now let's put the treble
and bass clefs together with the treble clef above the bass clef. The first ledger line
C above the bass clef and the first ledger line
C below the treble clef are the same note. Putting these two clefs together
creates the grand staff. And the C that we just
wrote with one ledger line above the bass clef and one ledger line below the treble clef is called middle C.