Reading Music · Chapter 3 of 12

The Bass Clef

The bass clef is for low notes, usually the ones your left hand plays. Same five lines, different names.

Low notes would need lots of extra lines below the treble staff, so piano music uses a second clef for them: the bass clef (say it like “base”).

The F clef

The bass clef is also called the F clef. It started as a letter F. It begins on the fourth line from the bottom, and its two dots sit just above and just below that line. That line is F: the F just below middle C (F3).

The two dots of the clef hug line 4. A note on that line is F.

The lines and spaces

From the bottom up, the bass lines are G B D F A, and the spaces are A C E G. Careful: these are not the same as the treble clef’s. The same spot on the staff means a different note in each clef.

Lines: G B D F A. A common saying: Good Boys Do Fine Always.
Spaces: A C E G. A common saying: All Cows Eat Grass.

As with the treble clef, the sayings are only aids. Good landmarks in the bass clef: F on line 4 (between the clef’s dots), the C in the second space (C3, an octave below middle C, where your left little finger sits in C position) and middle C just above the staff.

Your left hand in C position

C D E F G in the bass clef: the five notes of the left hand’s C position, from the second space to the fourth space.

Practice

Remember

  • The bass clef is the F clef: its dots hug line 4, which is F.
  • Lines G B D F A; spaces A C E G.
  • The same spot means a different note in the treble and bass clefs. Always check the clef.

Songs that use this

@teddyrookbook GitHub