| This reading music lesson is a supplement to the Alfred’s Essentials of Music Theory self-study workbook. While no book is perfect for learning how to read music, this is one of the best available. The concise explanations, brief practice exercises, ear-training CD’s, glossary of music terms, and answer key make it an excellent value. Buy this top-rated self-study course for beginners to advanced musicians and follow along with me. |
The bass clef originated as the letter “F”.
Over time, this letter turned into a much fancier symbol that you can find at the beginning of the music staff.
F-Clef
This is one reason why the bass clef is also called the F-Clef.
The other reason is because this symbol designates the fourth line of the music staff as “F”.
This means that any note that appears on this line will be called “F”.
Here’s how…
The fourth line is reserved for the letter name “F” in two ways:
1. On that line, you will see a dot that appears at the start of the ear-shaped symbol.
2. The other two dots on the right hand side straddle the famous fourth line.
Both of these indicators make it very clear that any note sitting on this line will be given the letter name “F”.
By the Way
The notes in the bass clef are used for lower pitched voices and instruments. The word “bass” in music is pronounced “base” and not like the type of fish you find when you go out fishing.
Now that you know about the bass clef, the next thing we are going to do is learn all the rest of the notes on the bass clef staff. I’ll meet you over at Bass Clef Notes – Reading Music Lesson #13
That’s a great info to know ~ Now I can easily identify the F note on that line =)
Thank you Teresa