The bass clef and the grand staff – free music theory course

The pianist's left hand mostly plays low notes. If we wrote them in the treble clef we would have to pile up extra lines below the staff — unreadable. So we use another clef, the bass clef (𝄢), also called the F clef.

The bass clef on line 4

The bass clef starts with a dot on line 4 and ends with two small dots on either side of that same line. It means: the note on line 4 is the F just below middle C (F3).

Notes on the lines

M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C clef=bass
G,,4 | B,,4 | D,4 | F,4 | A,4 |]
w: G B D F A

Notes in the spaces

M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C clef=bass
A,,4 | C,4 | E,4 | G,4 |]
w: A C E G

Tip: in the bass clef every note is written one line or space higher than in the treble clef (a G on line 1 of the bass staff sits where E sits in treble). Lines: "Good Boys Do Fine Always"; spaces: "All Cows Eat Grass". Also learn three landmarks: F (line 4), C (space 2) and middle C, just above the staff.

The grand staff

Piano music joins two staves, connected on the left by a brace: treble clef on top, bass clef below. This is the grand staff (great stave in the UK). Middle C (C4) sits exactly between the two: on a small ledger line below the treble staff, or on a ledger line above the bass staff. It is the same key written two ways.

M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C
%%staves {RH LH}
V:RH clef=treble
V:LH clef=bass
[V:RH] C4 | E G c2 | z4 |]
[V:LH] z4 | z4 | C4 |]

Listen: the first C (treble clef) and the last one (bass clef) are the same pitch. The two staves "meet" at middle C: there is only one ledger line between them.

Common mistake: reading the bass clef "as if it were treble". Every note then comes out two letters wrong (you read E instead of G). As soon as you see 𝄢, think "line 4 = F".

The right hand is not bound to the treble clef, nor the left to the bass clef: clef changes in the middle of a piece are common, especially when the left hand climbs high.