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Clef
The sign placed at the beginning of a staff to denote the pitch of one (and hence others) of its lines or spaces. They were first systematically used in 11th-century liturgical manuscripts. Letters denoting F and c were the most common; the gcame increasingly into use in the 15th century. The F and g clefs have come to be known as the 'bass clef' and 'treble clef' respectively, in their normal situations on the fourth line up (for the bass) and the second line up (for the treble); the c clef, according to its placing, may be called the soprano clef (on the bottom line), or moving upwards, the mezzo-soprano, the alto, the tenor and the baritone.
Bass Clef
A symbol indicating that the fourth line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of F below middle C. Also called F clef.
treble clef
A symbol indicating that the second line from the bottom of a staff represents the pitch of G above middle C. Also called G clef.
Note
The word "clef" comes from the French word for "key," derived from Middle French.
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What is the symbol at the head of a musical staff?
GClef
What is the bass clef called?
The other designation for the bass clef is the 'F' clef.
What clef is used to read music by middle range instruments?
The viola uses the Alto clef. This clef is sometimes called the C clef.
The names of all the clefs?
quite simplytreblealtotennerbassThere are three clefs in common use:G Clef, commonly called the Treble ClefC Clef, commonly used by violistsF Clef, commonly called the Bass Clef
Why the bass cleff is also called the f clef?
The base clef is also called the f clef, because if you look at it, the line in between the two dots of the base clef when it is on a staff is the f line.
