Clef 49214 225815909 2008-07-15T15:16:11Z AdeMiami 684097 Added ca {{dablink|For other senses of this word, see [[clef (disambiguation)]].}} [[image:Music clef demonstration.svg|thumb|400px|A clef indicates the name of the notes on one line of the staff, in relation to which the notes of the other lines and spaces may be determined. In this case, the G-clef assigns the note G to the second line.]] A '''clef''' (from the French for "key") is a [[musical notation|musical symbol]] used to indicate the [[pitch (music)|pitch]] of written [[note|notes]].<ref>Strictly speaking, the clef does not indicate the 'pitch' of the notes, but their 'names'; the actual pitch may vary according to the [[tuning system]] or [[Pitch (music)#History of pitch standards in Western music|pitch standard]] employed.</ref> Placed on one of the lines at the beginning of the [[staff_(music)|staff]], it indicates the name and pitch of the notes on that line. This line serves as a reference point by which the names of the notes on any other line or space of the staff may be determined. == The types of clef== There are three types of clef used in modern music notation: ''F'', ''C'', and ''G''. Each type of clef assigns a different reference note to the line on which it is placed. {| class="wikitable" |- ! | This clef... ! | is called... ! | and assigns the note... ! | to the line... |- | | [[Image:GClef.svg|center|30px]] | | the G-clef | | G above Middle C | | encircled by the curl of the clef. |- | | [[Image:CClef.svg|center|30px]] | | the C-clef | | Middle C | | that passes through the center of the clef. |- | | [[Image:FClef.svg|center|30px]] | | the F-clef | | F below Middle C | | between the two dots of the clef. |} Once one of these clefs has been placed on one of the lines of the staff, the other lines and spaces can be read in relation to it. The use of three different clefs makes it possible to write music for all instruments and voices, even though they may have very different [[tessitura]]s (that is, even though some sound much higher or lower than others). This would be difficult to do with only one clef, since the modern [[Staff (music)|staff]] has only five lines, and the number of pitches that can be represented on the staff, even with [[ledger lines]], is not nearly equal to the number of notes the orchestra can produce. The use of different clefs for different instruments and voices allows each part to be written comfortably on the staff with a minimum of ledger lines. To this end, the G-clef is used for high parts, the C-clef for middle parts, and the F-clef for low parts - with the important exception of [[transposing instruments|transposing parts]], which are written at a different pitch than they sound, often even in a different octave. == The positions of the clefs == In order to facilitate writing for different tessituras, any of the clefs may theoretically be placed on any of the lines of the staff. The further down on the staff a clef is placed, the higher the tessitura it is for; conversely, the higher up the clef, the lower the tessitura. Since there are five lines of the staff, and three clefs, it might seem that there would be fifteen possible clefs. Six of these, however, are redundant clefs (for example, a G-clef on the third line would be exactly the same as a C-clef on the first line). That leaves nine possible ''distinct'' clefs, all of which have been used historically: the G-clef on the two bottom lines, the F-clef on the three top lines, and the C-clef on any line of the staff except the topmost, earning the name of "movable C-clef". (The C-clef on the topmost line is redundant because it is exactly equivalent to the F-clef on the third line; both ways of writing this clef have been used). Each of these clefs has a different name based on the tessitura for which it is best suited. [[Image:All_clefs.svg|center|640px|The nine possible clefs]] Nowadays, only four clefs are used regularly: the [[#treble_clef|treble clef]], the [[#bass_clef|bass clef]], the [[#alto_clef|alto clef]], and the [[#tenor_clef|tenor clef]]. Of these, the treble and bass clefs are by far the most common. [[Image:common_clefs.svg|center|212px|Common clefs]] ==Individual clefs== Here follows a complete list of the clefs, along with a list of instruments and voice parts notated with them. Each clef is shown in its proper position on the staff, followed by its reference note. An [[Dagger (typography)|obelisk (†)]] after the name of a clef indicates that that clef is now obsolete. [[Image:GClef.svg|left|G-clef|40px]] === G-clefs === ---- {{-}} <div id="treble_clef"> ====The treble clef==== [[Image:Treble clef with note.svg|left|90px|Treble clef]] When the G-clef is placed on the second line of the staff, it is called the "treble clef". This is by far the most common clef used today, and the only G-clef still in use. For this reason, the terms G-clef and treble clef are often seen as synonymous. It was formerly also known as the "violin clef". The treble clef was historically used to mark a treble, or pre-pubescent, voice part. The lines on the bass clef staff correspond to the letters G B D F A, and can be remembered with the saying Good Boy Deserves Fudge Always. The spaces on the bass clef staff correspond to the letters A C E G, and can be easily remembered by saying the phrase All Cows Eat Grass. This clef is used for the [[bagpipes]], [[violin]], [[flutes]], [[oboe]], [[English horn]], all [[clarinet]]s, all [[saxophone]]s except the [[baritone sax]], [[horn (instrument)|horn]], [[euphonium]] (occasionally), [[trumpet]], [[guitar]], [[vibraphone]], [[xylophone]] and handbells; for the upper part of [[keyboard instruments]] like the [[piano]], [[organ (music)|organ]], [[harp]], and [[harpsichord]] (of which the lower part is usually written in the bass clef); for the highest notes played by the [[cello]] (the old convention was to write an octave higher, unless preceded by a tenor clef), [[double bass]], [[bassoon]], [[trombone]] (which otherwise use the bass and tenor clefs), and [[viola]] (which otherwise uses the alto clef); and for the [[soprano]], [[mezzo-soprano]], [[alto]], [[contralto]] and [[tenor]] voices. The tenor voice is often written using an octave clef (see below) or double-treble clef. The notes starting on the bottom line bottom to top line are: E4, F4, G4, A4, B4, C5, D5, E5, F5 </div> {{-}} ====The French violin clef<sup>†</sup>==== [[Image:French clef with note.svg|left|90px|French clef]] When the G-clef is placed on the first line of the staff, it is called the "French clef" or "French violin clef". This clef is no longer used. Formerly, it was used by the flute and violin, especially in parts published in France in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Its placement causes the note names on the staff to be identical to those of the bass clef. {{-}} [[Image:FClef.svg|left|F-clef|40px]] === F-clefs === ---- {{-}} <div id="bass_clef"> ====The bass clef==== [[Image:Bass clef with note.svg|90px|left|Bass clef]] When the F-clef is placed on the fourth line, it is called the "bass clef". This is the only F-clef used today, so that the terms "F-clef" and "bass clef" are often regarded as synonymous. This clef is used for the [[cello]], [[euphonium]], [[double bass]], [[bass guitar]], [[bassoon]], [[contrabassoon]], [[trombone]], [[tuba]], and [[timpani]]; for the lower part of [[keyboard instruments]] like the [[piano]], [[organ (music)|organ]], marimba and [[harpsichord]] (of which the upper part is usually written in treble clef); and for the lowest notes of the [[Horn (instrument)|horn]]; and the [[baritone]] and [[Bass (vocal range)|bass]] voices. Double Bass and Bass guitar is notated in bass clef an octave higher than the sound it makes. The notes starting on the bottom line bottom to top line are: G2, A2, B2, C3, D3, E3, F3, G3, A3 (or when used for Double Bass/Bass Guitar: G1, A1, B1, C2, D2, E2, F2, G2, A2) </div> {{-}} ====The baritone clef<sup>†</sup>==== [[Image:Percussion clef with note.svg|left|90px|Baritone clef]] When the F-clef is placed on the third line, it is called the baritone clef. This clef is no longer used. Formerly, it was used to write the baritone part in vocal music. {{-}} ====The subbass clef<sup>†</sup>==== [[Image:Subbass clef with note.svg|left|90px|Subbass clef]] When the F-clef is placed on the fifth line, it is called the subbass clef. This is unique among the other F-clefs in that it is the same note arrangement as the treble clef. This clef is no longer used. Formerly, it was used to write low bass parts, e.g. in the works of [[Heinrich Schütz]]. {{-}} [[Image:CClef.svg|left|C-clef|40px]] === C-clefs === ---- {{-}} <div id="alto_clef"> ====The alto clef==== [[Image:Alto_clef_with_note.svg|left|90px|Alto clef]] When the C-clef is placed on the third line of the staff, it is called the alto clef. As with all C-clefs, this line indicates the position of middle C. This clef (sometimes called the viola clef) is currently used for the [[viola]], the [[viola da gamba]], and the [[Types_of_trombones#Alto_trombone|alto trombone]].<ref>Although Russian composers persisted in using them well into the twentieth century, the alto trombone is not so popular as it had once been, and now the 1st Trombone often plays the alto trombone parts.</ref> Formerly, it was used for the [[alto]] voice and by instruments playing a middle part ([[oboe]]s, [[recorder]]s, etc.) It occasionally turns up in keyboard music to the present day ([[Brahms]]' [[organ (instrument)|Organ]] [[chorale|chorale]]s, [[John Cage]]'s ''Dream'' for [[piano]]). The notes starting on the bottom line bottom to top line are: F3, G3, A3, B3, C4, D4, E4, F4, G4 </div> {{-}} <div id="tenor_clef"> ====The [[tenor]] clef==== [[Image:Tenor clef with note.svg|left|90px|Tenor clef]] When the C-clef is placed on the fourth line of the staff, it is called the tenor clef. This clef is used for the upper ranges of the [[bassoon]], [[violoncello]], [[euphonium]], [[double bass]], and [[trombone]] (which all use the bass clef in their lower and middle ranges, and in their extreme high ranges, the treble clef as well). Formerly, it was used by the [[tenor]] part in [[vocal music]] but its use has been largely supplanted either with an octave version of the treble clef when written alone or the bass clef when combined on one staff with the bass part. </div> {{-}} ====The baritone clef<sup>†</sup>==== [[Image:Baritone clef with note.svg|left|90px|Baritone clef]] Occasionally in the past, the C-clef was placed on the fifth line, and it is called the baritone-clef, like the baritone F-clef on the third line, to which it is exactly equivalent. Because of this equivalency, it was rarely used in the past; the baritone F-clef was used instead. {{-}} ====The mezzo-soprano clef<sup>†</sup>==== [[Image:Mezzosoprano clef with note.svg|left|90px|Mezzo-soprano clef]] When the C-clef is placed on the second line of the staff, it is called the mezzo-soprano clef. This clef is no longer used. Formerly, it was used in vocal music to write mezzo-soprano parts. {{-}} ====The soprano clef<sup>†</sup>==== [[Image:Soprano clef with note.svg|left|90px|Soprano clef]] When the C-clef occurs on the first line of the staff, it is called the soprano clef. This clef is no longer used. Formerly, it was used in vocal music to write soprano parts. The [[Types of trombones|soprano trombone]] uses this clef too. Although this trombone is seldom used today, some works of J.S. Bach call for it. {{clear}} ==Other clefs== ===Octave clefs === [[Image:Treble clef with transposition.png|left|50px]]Sometimes a small ''8'' is attached to a clef to show that an instrument or voice part sounds an octave above or below the written note. Octave clefs allow the performer to easily read a line in a clef they are familiar with (normally the treble or bass clefs) when the true note values of the line would otherwise require the use of a large number of [[ledger line]]s to denote the pitch in relation to the staff of the standard clef. This is most often found in [[tenor]] parts in [[SATB]] settings, in which a treble clef is written with an eight below it, indicating the pitches sound an octave below the written value. As the true tenor clef has generally fallen into disuse in vocal writings, this "octave-dropped" treble clef is often called the tenor clef. The same clef is sometimes used for the baritone horn. In some scores, the same concept is construed by using a double clef -- two G-clefs overlapping one another. At the other end of the spectrum, treble clefs with an ''8'' positioned above the clef is often used in piccolo, penny whistle and other high woodwind parts and is sometimes known (informally) as the "sopranino clef". The F clef can also be notated with an octave marker. The F clef notated an octave down is sometimes used for contrabass instruments such as the [[double bass]] and [[contrabassoon]] and, as the traditional subbass clef has fallen into disuse, that term is sometimes used to describe this clef. The F clef notated an octave up is used for bass [[recorder]] and sometimes, though seldom, used for countertenor parts and called the countertenor clef, as it is easy for a [[bass (vocal range)|bass]] or [[baritone]] to read while singing the part in [[falsetto]]. However, both of these are extremely rare (and in fact the countertenor clef is largely intended to be humorous as with the works of [[P.D.Q. Bach]]). The unmodified bass clef is so common that performers of instruments and voice parts whose ranges lie below the staff simply learn the number of leger lines for each note through common use, and if a line's true notes lie significantly above the bass clef the composer or publisher will often simply write the part in either the true treble clef or notated an octave down. {{clear}} === Neutral clef === [[Image:Music-neutralclef.png|95px|left]] The ''neutral'' or ''percussion'' clef is not a clef in the same sense that the F, C, and G clefs are. It is simply a convention that indicates that the lines and spaces of the staff are each assigned to a [[percussion instrument]] with no precise pitch. With the exception of some common drum-kit and marching percussion layouts, the keying of lines and spaces to instruments is not standardized, so a legend or indications above the staff are necessary to indicate what is to be played. Percussion instruments with identifiable pitches do not use the neutral clef, and timpani (notated in bass clef) and [[tuned percussion|mallet percussion]] (noted in treble clef or on a [[grand staff]]) are usually notated on different staves than unpitched percussion. Staves with a neutral clef do not always have five lines. Commonly, percussion staves only have one line, although other configurations can be used. The neutral clef is sometimes used when non-percussion instruments play non-pitched [[extended techniques]], such as hitting the body of a violin, violoncello or acoustic guitar, or when a vocal choir is instructed to clap, stomp, or snap, but more often the rhythms are written with X marks in the instrument's normal staff with a note placed above as to the appropriate rhythmic action. ===Tablature=== [[Image:Tablature.svg|left|60px]] For guitars and other plucked instruments, it is possible to notate [[tablature]] in place of ordinary notes. In this case, a TAB-sign is often written instead of a clef. The number of lines of the staff is not necessarily five: one line is used for each string of the instrument (so, for standard six-stringed guitars, six lines would be used, four lines for the traditional bass guitar). Numbers on the lines show on which fret the string should be played. This Tab-sign, like the Percussion clef, is not a clef in the true sense, but rather a symbol employed instead of a clef. == History == [[Image:gregorian_chant_clefs.svg|right|frame|Gregorian chant clefs: C, F]] The clefs developed at the same time as the [[Musical staff|staff]], in the 10th century. 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: G, F, or C. These were the 'clefs' used for Gregorian chant. Over time, the shapes of these letters became stylized; eventually resulting in the shapes we have today. Two other clefs have been used as well, the D-clef and the Gamma-clef, indicating the notes now represented by the fourth line of the treble clef{{Fact|date=November 2007}} and the first line of the bass clef, respectively; but these fell out of use. Several variant shapes of the different clefs persisted until very recent times. The F-clef was, until very recently, written like this: [[Image:Oldbassclef.svg||45px|]]. The C-clef was formerly written in a more angular way than now, and many people still use this, or a further simplified ''K''-shape, when writing the clef by hand. The flourish at the top of the G-clef probably derives from a cursive ''S'' for "sol", the name for "G" in [[solfege]].<ref>Kidson</ref> [[Image:Lilypond-screenshot-adeste.png|thumb|300px|right|Vocal music can be contracted into two staves, using the treble and bass clefs]] C-clefs were formerly used to notate vocal music, a practice that dwindled away during the late 19th century. The soprano voice was written in <nowiki>1st</nowiki> line C clef (''soprano clef''), the alto voice in <nowiki>3rd</nowiki> line C clef (''alto clef''), the tenor voice in <nowiki>4th</nowiki> line C clef (''tenor clef'') and the bass voice in <nowiki>4th</nowiki> line F clef (''bass clef''). In more modern publications, four part [[harmony]] on parallel staves is usually written more simply as: *S(oprano) = treble clef (<nowiki>2nd</nowiki> line G clef) *A(lto) = treble clef *T(enor) = treble clef with an "8" below ''or'' a double treble clef *B(ass) = bass clef (<nowiki>4th</nowiki> F clef) Alternatively, this is reduced to two staves, the soprano/alto staff with a treble clef, and tenor/bass staff marked with the bass clef. == Further uses == One more use of the clefs is training in sight reading: the ability to read in any clef is useful for being able to transpose on sight (see [[sight transposition]]), although in that case the tessitura implied by the given clef must be ignored. It is then only necessary to use seven clefs, so that any written note can take any of the seven different names (A, B, C, D, E, F, G). Students in French and Belgian conservatories and music schools, amongst others<!-- ? -->, are thoroughly drilled in this kind of exercise and [[solfeggio]]s meant for use in those institutions are about the only scores where one will find nowadays a <nowiki>1st</nowiki> line or <nowiki>2nd</nowiki> line C clef or a <nowiki>3rd</nowiki> line F clef. For some reason, the <nowiki>3rd</nowiki> line F clef (the baritone clef) is preferred in the French and Belgian pedagogical tradition to the equivalent <nowiki>5th</nowiki> line C clef. This may have something to do with the fact that very early medieval scores had only 4 line staffs, hence possibly the avoidance in some particularly traditionalist circles to write a clef on the <nowiki>5th</nowiki> line, though this is arguably more likely due to the visual impact of the fact that the <nowiki>3rd</nowiki> line F clef is contained entirely within the staff whilst half of the <nowiki>5th</nowiki> line C clef protrudes above it. ==References== {{Commonscat|Clef}} *[[Georges Dandelot|Dandelot, Georges]]. Manuel pratique pour l'étude des clefs. Revised by Bruno Giner and Armelle Choquard. Eschig 1999. *Kidson, Frank. The Evolution of Clef Signatures. In 'The Musical Times', Vol. 49, No. 785 (Jul. 1, 1908), pp. 443-444. *Kidson, Frank. The Evolution of Clef Signatures (Second Article). In 'The Musical Times, Vol. 50, No. 793 (Mar. 1, 1909), pp. 159-160 *Morris and Ferguson. Preparatory Exercises in Score-Reading. (Richardson, K 2008) ==Notes== {{reflist|1}} {{Musical notation}} [[Category:French words and phrases]] [[Category:Musical notation]] [[Category:Musical terminology]] [[Category:Music theory]] [[ar:مفتاح موسيقي]] [[ca:Clau (música)]] [[cs:Klíč (hudba)]] [[da:Nøgle (musik)]] [[de:Notenschlüssel]] [[et:Noodivõti]] [[el:Μουσικό κλειδί]] [[es:Clave (música)]] [[fr:Clef (musique)]] [[gl:Clave (notación musical)]] [[it:Chiave musicale]] [[he:מפתח (מוזיקה)]] [[lb:Nouteschlëssel]] [[hu:C-kulcsok]] [[nl:Sleutel (muziek)]] [[ja:音部記号]] [[no:Nøkkel (musikk)]] [[nn:Musikknøkkel]] [[pl:Klucz (muzyka)]] [[pt:Clave]] [[ru:Ключ (музыка)]] [[simple:Clef]] [[sk:Kľúč (hudba)]] [[sl:Ključ (notacija)]] [[sr:Кључ (музика)]] [[sh:Ključ (muzički)]] [[fi:Nuottiavain]] [[sv:Klav]] [[th:กุญแจประจำหลัก]] [[uk:Ключ (музика)]] [[zh:譜號]]