Why do we need a Bass Clef?
The Bass Clef always poses problems for people trying to learn how to read music.
I often get asked what the point of the Bass Clef is because its existence just seems to make life harder for no good reason!!
Well, the reason we have the Bass Clef is simple – to make music easier to read by avoiding the use of too many ledger lines.
Let me explain.
Let’s take a piece of music where there are lots of notes below Middle C. If we were to use a Treble Clef (remember, Middle C in the Treble Clef goes on a ledger line below the stave as shown below) then we would have to use loads of ledger lines – this would make the music really difficult to read.
However, Middle C in the Bass Clef goes on a ledger line above the stave so there are loads of notes we can write below Middle C without having to use any ledger lines. This is a really good thing because ledger lines can be a bit of a nightmare to read.
Why bother to Learn Bass Clef?
If you can learn how to read Treble and Bass Clef then you will make a huge leap forward as a musician. You will be able to read music written for piano, bass guitar and even cello! Look at the diagram above – this shows what is often referred to as the Grand Staff (the combination of Treble Clef and Bass Clef).
By learning Treble and Bass Clef you can see the huge range of notes that you will be able to read.
This is going to give you a real head start as a musician.
What’s the best way to learn Bass Clef?
The best way to learn Bass Clef is to do 3 things:
1. Memorise the note names through some simple rhymes.
Here are the rhymes I use to remember the Bass Clef notes:
The rhymes are not that amazing (I am sure that you can come up with some better ones), but they are effective.
2. Test yourself (you can start by trying the quiz below)
3. Try to play some easy pieces written in Bass Clef on a keyboard, guitar or other instrument.
Bass Clef Quiz
Try these 10 questions on the Bass Clef to test your knowledge of the Bass Clef notes:
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
What is the name of this Bass Clef note?
I hope you found this helpful – feel free to check out the other videos and articles I’ve got on my site. It’s all TOTALLY FREE – I hope it helps you in your musical journey.
All the best,
Ben
