A Guide for band students

Reading Music

Music for Bassoon is written in Bass clef and Tenor clef. Below you will find instructions on how to read these clefs and some helpful practice links to become good at it!

Bass and Tenor Clef

Bass Clef

Picture
  • The bass clef looks like a large comma followed by a colon. It is also called an F clef. The bass clef is placed at the beginning of a music staff.
  • In the bass clef the lines, starting from the bottom, are G, B, D, F and A.  The spaces, starting from the bottom, are A, C, E and G.
  • Help yourself remember the pitches by forming an Acronym (a sentence where the first letter of each word corresponds to the lines or spaces).
Picture
  • For the pitches on the lines, G, B, D, F and A, try the sentence "Great Big Dogs From Africa."
  • For the pitches on the spaces, A, C, E and G, try the sentence "All Cows Eat Grass".
Here is a link to test your bass clef note reading skills:
http://www.studybass.com/tools/bass-clef-notes/

Tenor Clef

Picture
  • The tenor clef has two lines followed by a sign that looks similar to a backwards 3.  The tenor clef is placed at the beginning of a music staff.
  • In the tenor clef the lines, starting from the bottom, are D, F, A, C, and E.  The spaces, starting from the bottom, are E, G, B and D.
  • Recognize that the fourth line is middle C.
  • Help yourself remember the pitches by forming an Acronym (a sentence where the first letter of each word corresponds to the lines or spaces).
  • For the pitches on the lines,  you can remember the lines, D, F, A, C, and E try the sentence "Dragons Flying Across Castles Everywhere."
  • For the pitches on the spaces, and the spaces E, G, B and D, try the sentence "Every Green Boat Drifts."
Here is a link to test your tenor clef note reading skills:

http://courses.wcupa.edu/frichmon/usetech/musicalflashcards/tnnotes.html

Note Practicing

Practice reading notes in each clef.  This is the best way to improve your note reading ability. Try to practice at least twice a week. Though it might be a slow struggle at first, eventually your speed and accuracy will improve.