Treble Clef - Music Theory Academy - Learn the notes of the Treble Clef (2024)

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How to Read Sheet Music

Treble Clef

How to Read Sheet Music

The treble clef is a symbol that is printed at the start of a line of sheet music to assign the lines and spaces of the staff to specific note pitches. It is one of the most well known and recognisable musical symbols:


The Treble Clef is used for many instruments, including the piano (right hand), flute, soprano and alto singers, guitar, oboe and many more.

Treble Clef Notes

Here are the treble clef note names:

The “E” on the bottom line is the “E” just above middle C on a piano/keyboard.

Learning the Treble Clef Note Names

The easiest way to learn the treble clef notes on the staff is to do the following:

  1. Learn the well known rhymes
  2. Test yourself (there is a quiz you can use later on in this post)
  3. Play the notes on a keyboard/piano

Treble Clef Rhymes

The rhymes for the Treble Clef have been around for absolutely ages, but they really are a very quick way to learn the notes.

For the lines, the rhyme is “Every Good Boy Deserves Food”:

The spaces, on the other hand, spell out the word “FACE”

Have a go at trying to memorise these note rhymes.

The other note that you should be able to easily recognise on a treble clef staff is middle C.
In the treble clef, middle C is positioned on a ledger line just below the bottom of the staff:

Once you think you can remember the rhymes and middle C try testing yourself using the quiz below.

The Treble Clef Quiz

Have a go at this quiz and see if you can name all of the notes on the Treble Clef.
It is worth completing the quiz at least 3 times to make sure that you have committed the notes to memory (the notes will appear in a random order each time to help you learn them properly).
There are 10 questions in total.

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What is the name of this Treble Clef note?

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Treble Clef Notes Quiz

Good Effort

Good Effort!Have another look at the note rhymes for the Treble Clef and then try again and see if you can beat your score.

You are getting there

Well done!You are starting to get the hang of the Treble Clef notes. Have another look at the note rhymes and then try again to see if you can beat your score.

Very Good Work!

Very well done!You have almost got this sorted. Have another go and see if you can get all the questions correct.

Awesome!

Outstanding work!You have learnt the basic notes of the Treble Clef. Well done!

Once you have completed the quiz have a go at playing the treble clef notes on a piano.

You can use the quiz above again to give you a note to play – try playing the note on a keyboard/piano and typing in the answer for each question.

Ledger Lines on the Treble Clef

The number of notes can be extended above and below the treble clef staff using ledger lines.
These are short lines that can be added to the stave to increase the range of pitches that can be shown.
Here are the most common ledger lines you will find on the Treble Clef:

These can take a little time to learn as there are not any obvious rhymes to follow.
You may have to start by counting up/down the notes from the top/bottom lines of the staff.
However, if you have look at them and keep trying to play them on your instrument then you will find that you will gradually commit them to memory.

Drawing a Treble Clef

Most of the treble clef symbols you will come across will be printed.
However, If you are writing your own sheet music or completing a test then you may have to draw one yourself.
Here is a diagram of how to draw a treble clef sign:

Also, you can have a look at my lesson on how to draw a treble clef.

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About The Author

Treble Clef - Music Theory Academy - Learn the notes of the Treble Clef (18)

Ben

Ben Dunnett LRSM is the founder of Music Theory Academy. He is a music teacher, examiner, composer and pianist with over twenty years experience in music education. Read More

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Treble Clef - Music Theory Academy - Learn the notes of the Treble Clef (2024)

FAQs

How do you memorize the treble clef notes? ›

The treble clef is one of the most commonly used clefs today. Example 1 shows the letter names used for the lines of a staff when a treble clef is employed. One mnemonic device that may help you remember this order of letter names is “Every Good Bird Does Fly” (E, G, B, D, F).

What are the answer to the treble clef notes? ›

The five lines on the treble clef represent (in ascending order) the notes E, G, B, D, and F. The four spaces, also in ascending order, represent the notes F, A, C, and E.

How do you learn to read the treble clef? ›

Notes in Treble Clef

The notes on the staff lines in treble clef are E - G - B - D - F. One of the first ways I learned to remember the order of notes is with the phrase "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge." The spaces also represent notes. They are F - A - C - E (going from the bottom space upwards).

How to read piano sheet music treble clef? ›

The Treble Clef contains 5 lines and 4 spaces in it, and each of these lines and spaces has a specific note that is located there. The notes on the 4 spaces are F, A, C, & E. The notes on the 5 lines are E, G, B, D, & F. Say the note names on the Spaces going from the bottom to the top several times.

What is the rhyme to remember notes on treble clef? ›

The notes on the lines of treble clef are: E – G – B – D – F. You can use the mnemonic Every Good Bird Does Fly, Every Good Boy Does Fine, Eating Green Bananas Disgusts Friends, or get creative and come up with your own! The trick is to find a mnemonic memorable enough that you never forget the treble clef note names.

What is the word used to remember the space notes on the treble clef? ›

The spaces of the treble clef are even easier to remember because in order they are F, A, C, E and that already spells the word FACE.

What is the treble clef easy explanation? ›

The treble clef is the most used clef in Western music notation. It primarily notates musical notes above middle C. The treble clef is shaped like an ornamental letter G, and its inner curve surrounds the note G4 that falls above middle C. For this reason, the treble clef is nicknamed the G clef.

What are the notes on the treble clef from lowest to highest? ›

In treble clef, the notes on the lines are E – G – B – D – F from lowest to highest, often remembered through the traditional mnenomic “Every Good Boy Does Fine.” The spaces are F – A – C – E from lowest to highest.

How do you tell what key a song is in treble clef? ›

At the top of a well-written chart, you'll see a clef & a time signature, and in between them is a key signature—the number of sharps or flats tell you what key the song is in.

What singers sing in treble clef? ›

Upper Voices are people who sing in the treble clef, traditionally called sopranos or altos. It also includes countertenors (tenor/bass singers who have a strong and developed falsetto).

How to memorize treble clef notes? ›

Use Mnemonic Devices

For example, “Every Good Boy Does Fine” is a common mnemonic for remembering the notes of the treble clef staff. The first letter of each word in the sentence corresponds to a note on the staff: E, G, B, D, and F.

What is the acronym for face in music? ›

In music, there are several acronyms which can help us remember the pattern of the notes within the spaces and lines on the music. For example, in between the Treble Clef spaces we can spell the word: 'face'. In between the Treble Clef lines, we have the acronym: 'Every Good Boy Deserves Football.

What is the line through middle C called? ›

The note names of the four spaces in the treble clef from bottom to top are. F,A,C,E (Face) The line through middle C is called a. ledger line.

What is the memory trick for bass clef? ›

How do you remember bass clef notes? Many people use mnemonic devices to remember the bass clef notes. The bass clef line notes are G, B, D, F, A, which could stand for Grizzly Bears Don't Fear Anything. The bass clef space notes are A, C, E, G, which could stand for All Cows Eat Grass.

How to remember music notes on staff? ›

Here are some creative mnemonics/acronyms to help remember these notes:
  1. Every Good Boy Does Fine.
  2. Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge.
  3. Eating Green Bananas Disgusts Friends.
  4. Elephants Got Big Dirty Feet.
  5. Even George Bush Does Fart (for adult students with a sense of humor)
Aug 3, 2024

How do you memorize tenor clef lines? ›

Reading Tenor Clef

The letter names for the lines with a tenor clef. One mnemonic device that may help you remember this order of letter names is: Dodges Fords And Chevrolets Everywhere (D, F, A, C, E). As seen in Example 7, the center of the tenor clef is indented around the 'C' line (the second from the top line).

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