Music Theory - Understanding Alto & Tenor Clefs (Reading Notes/Key Signature Layout)

[@juliebotham6169]

HI theory guy - I am just starting to learn to play the piano and read music. For years I have always thought that reading music is really difficult to understand but you make it really easy - great work thanks !

[@user-fo4ue9mo4z]

Treble Clef: Bass Clef: Alto Clef: Tenor Clef: Soprano Clef: G Clef: Sharp Clef:

[@TheRat1]

ᴄᴏᴏʟ ᴘʀᴏ baritone clef

[@davidduncan1362]

Learn tenor clef if you are writing BIG songs to challenge tenor voices that can easily sing more than two octaves of notes, so you are not drawing lots of ledger lines either above the bass clef or below the treble clef.

[@Fredigundis22]

This is a very good series of videos. I hope you will continue to cover the requirements for ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory. It's interesting that you mention that alto clef, although mainly used for the viola, is also used for the alto trombone (an instrument which fell into disuse for a while but seems to be making a comeback). I might add here that the tenor clef is also used by classical tenor trombonists, although brass-band, jazz and popular players will generally prefer to read bass clef.

[@collindutcher7085]

Woah I thought there were only two. My eyes are now open!

[@contentdeleted3028]

I thought there were only 3...

[@totoscorner1509]

Mama

[@sidpatna6828]

@@totoscorner1509 just killed a man

[@sidpatna6828]

@@totoscorner1509 pulled the trigger now he’s dead

[@muhlbacheryang6774]

Tenor and alto clefs are hard. But you made it easy. Thanks a lot, friend.

[@musictheoryguy]

Glad I could help! Good luck with the concert. Best wishes.

[@MsCellobass]

Just got into the tenor c clef on cello and it is just as my teacher explained but you took it a further. Great help. Thanks

[@bluebow68]

I know the G cleff..just starting on the Al;to..so this was good..and Mnemocics are an absolute must ,in my book..

[@stevebaldock4967]

In revitalising my bassoon playing, it's finally nice to remind myself of the tenor clef !!

[@AnnetteMurphyger]

We just starting doing the Alto and Tenor clefs last week at Music Grade 4/5 Theory Classes. Thanks

[@jordantrevayne]

I really love your videos! I've stopped studying with ABRSM for a couple of years and I want to continue again. I'm in grade 6 piano but in order to sit that exam, I have to do my grade 5 theory!! SO I'm just trying to catch up and teach myself!! I look forward to when you publish a video on cadences!

[@kikiiiiiiiiiiix]

same! relatable :)

[@geetika6540]

thanks for the neat little trick for locating middle c, i was struggling learning the notes in this clef :)

[@ratinadumpster]

Thank you so much, I’m trying to compose something and I forgot how to read the alto clef (I play viola). This was super helpful!!!😊

[@mrewan6221]

I'm not convinced by the reasoning given for the starting place of the first sharp in tenor clef. Paraphrasing, you've said it's so that the first four sharps alternate direction , but letting the tenor clef have a slight difference. But as soon as the fifth sharp is added, the tenor clef keeps the "reverse direction" rule, but the others follow a "three-in the same direction" rule. It would be just as logical to have one three-in-a row , and the rest reversing directions. This could happen in tenor clef with high F♯, mid C♯, and low G♯, then high D♯, low A♯, high E♯, then low B♯. The slight difference is that the three-in-a-row appears at the start, rather than in the middle. So the reason given isn't very robust. But having said that, I'd really recommend that we stick to the traditional layout. I am a professional bassoonist, and we'd rather keep the key signatures looking the same as they always have. The other request - on behalf of bassoonists everywhere - don't write in tenor clef unless most of the notes are on leger lines (in tenor clef). We don't spend much time reading lower tenor clef, as we have a perfectly functional bass clef for that range. We can comfortably read down to about A below middle C in tenor clef, but you'd better have a very good reason for writing much lower. If you are foolish enough to write leger lines below the tenor clef staff, you can guarantee your composition won't be played.

[@rayfangrui]

So do you have any recommendation on how to remember where to place the sharps with a robust/consistent reasoning? Especially for someone who is new to this, and does not have the "traditional" pattern imprinted in his head and would prefer to have a logical rule to go by? Thank you.

[@djtripp7077]

Incredibly helpful video. Thank for clearly and concisely laying out all the information. AP Music Theory come at me

[@Chrismacleod777]

This was very useful - thank you for posting!

[@makahuro]

got a concert tomorrow, got the sheet's today and saw a few had tenor clefs... i have never, ever played something written in tenor clef. not only do i have to play tenor trombone instead of bass trombone, but i have to learn a new clef in 23,5 hours! (i got a call from a stressed director asking me to help out) this is gonna be interesting. :P

[@chriss-tw9jy]

so if i where to preform a piece on cello written in tenor, and the note in tenor clef was A, would play an A on my cello or a D as i normally would?

[@evertsw]

Late answer I know, but you would play an A. The point of different clefs is to write down the notes you play in a different way, so writing an A in a different way is still an A.

[@manojkrishna8839]

I knew about the existence of the tenor clef, but did not know anything else about it. Thank you for posting this informative video. By the way, do you happen to know the Indian singer K.J.Yesudas? My friend says he is a tenor singer. I think he is a baritone singer who can reach tenor ranges. Do you have any idea about his voice type?

[@Fredigundis22]

Further to this, a classically-trained trombonist friend of mine, who now conducts a brass-band, informs me that many of his trombonists only read from TREBLE clef.

[@Progressivemusician]

This is a great lesson and very well done. Brovo!!

[@daniel3231995]

Are the notes in the same pitches at different clefs?

[@99katnissmusicluvr]

the one that I use is: Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. It also is good for flats: Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles' Father. It's great because it works both ways so you only have to remember one acronym. Hope this is useful for anyone!

[@Bryan-ot1yz]

New knowledge for me thanks

[@CincoDrums]

tysm, now for a butt load of practice

[@hiradrezaei5032]

Great video way better than my teacher

[@besta421]

Thank you so much! This helped me so much! :)

[@baldie1900]

Nice job mate, great video, but I can't believe that I'm the only one who 'liked' it!?!? This video deserves more likes. Hit that like button! P.S: Cheers, that video really helped me extend my knowledge of music. >'.'

[@jello_sauce]

Faux Friday The ratings are neutral, that's why you're the only one who liked it, but only for you. No one can see how many likes or dislikes are actually on this video.

[@michaeltaylor3157]

For the order of sharps, we were taught, "fat cats go down alleys eating bread."

[@kevinguacamole5300]

ours is fat cats go down alley eat brownys a little different

[@makeuplearner7832]

Father Christmas gave dad an electric blanket, and then for flats... blanket exploded and dad got cold feet

[@katew2677]

Ive always known Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket. Not sure where from

[@katew2677]

Ive always known Father Christmas Gave Dad An Electric Blanket. Not sure where from

[@makenna9939]

does it work for every clef

[@doitnowvideosyeah5841]

I found a scale form in my wife's bass book which had part written in Alto clef. The author probably intended to use tenor clef, Does anyone use alto for bass fiddle?

[@gymnast2156]

Thanks! This was very helpful.

[@tiffany3879]

I learned on viola so I'm good on alto just needed help on tenor

[@trumpetplayerdude9838]

Tiffany so does everybody else

[@kevinguacamole5300]

i need help tooo

[@keithforbes4544]

Lines: D F A C E Spaces: Every Good Boy Does Fine (including F on top on the staff)

[@HongKongBall8464]

Middle C is in all clefs but in different places,right?

[@darnellfrancis4406]

Thank you for this video!

[@HydrogenStudios]

Tenor clef triggers my ocd

[@memskasim]

Thank you so much sir, that's really helped me alot :)

[@brumm3653]

alto clef: where the middle C is actually in the middle.

[@sylee2975]

Thank you so much this helped me a lot

[@IvoryMelodies86]

Haha, I like your acronym for remembering the sharps. I remember it as Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Bugs.

[@Talube101]

I appreciate your videos...thank you so much.

[@davidduncan1362]

Bass clef is typically written for bass and baritone singers, but if you are writing for an unmistakable tenor singer who is neither baritone nor bass, you will likely prefer to write his music in tenor clef. Those tenor clef notes are just right for unmistakable tenor voices, given the fact that middle C is no longer above the staff, but on the fourth line and there is no point of writing below baritone low A if you are writing for a tenor voice. When writing in tenor clef, that note on the first ledger line above the staff is a G and the space above is an A. Gentlemen, that area above the tenor clef staff may be getting quite high for you, but it still should not be too high if you are a tenor and I am talking about actual tenors, not baritones who sing tenor parts in choir. Learning tenor clef helps when writing BIG (more than two octaves) songs for tenor voices, so that way, you are not drawing very many ledger lines above the staff like you would with bass clef.

[@meiqinlin9741]

This was so helpful! 👍🙂👏👌

[@samuelgutierrez3860]

It has helped thank you so much!

[@evancox2102]

Could I use alto cleff to play alto sax?

[@charlottewhyte9804]

eric ingram, I think any theory book on Euphorrim would do the trick for you cheers

[@potatoesare_jesus2278]

For my cello sheet music it is always bass clef

[@desireerahman4897]

oh, you will get tenor - in fact, if you are still playing 3 years later, you have probably gotten into tenor!

[@eingram]

Can anyone recommend a book on tenor clef for euphonium?

[@liorgoldfarb545]

I didnt understand what clef belongs to each of the sax- baritone, tenor, alto and the soprano sax.

[@arthurharden4600]

Hey guys I'm looking at this video to understand alto and tenor clef but I stared thinking if I play alto sax y can't read or some weird way to transpose to alto without a problem

[@sweetpresten]

***** An Alto Saxophone does not read in Alto Clef just because it's called an Alto sax, just like how a Tenor sax does not read in Tenor Clef just because it is a Tenor sax. An Alto Sax reads in Treble Clef, but technically, you could read it in Alto Clef, but usually when learning wind instruments, you read in Treble or Bass Clef. Few exceptions, for example, like you saw in the video, and Alto Trombone does read in Alto Clef, and a Bassoon reads in both Bass Clef and Tenor Clef, but they're probably both taught in Bass Clef, just because that's simply how it is. Once the player gets more advanced is when they have to learn to read in Alto and/or Tenor Clef, because, for example, Bassoon music (I'm using Bassoon as an example because I play Bassoon, lol) often times reads in Bass Clef, and in the middle of playing, it sometimes will randomly switch from Bass Clef, to Tenor Clef, then back to Bass Clef, just because Tenor Clef is written lower than Bass Clef, so for example, a High C in Bass Clef, looks like written High F in bass clef, but it's in Tenor Clef, so it saves the reader from reading a crap ton of Leisure Lines, because it's pretty annoying reading music with a bunch of those. Sorry that this reply turned into a mini lesson/rant about the two, I was just giving you information that I knew off the top of my head, so sorry if it got confusing, I tried to explain it best to where everyone can understand it, because it all makes sense to me, but then again, I have studied this stuff.. Lol. But moral of the reply is, Alto Sax does not read in Alto Clef just because it is called an Alto Sax, it's called an Alto Sax because the range on it is pretty much the range of an Alto singing person, so yeah.. Lol, thanks for reading this whole thing if you did, you probably deserve a cookie! McDonald's has them for a dollar, and they're the best when they're fresh and all gooey inside, lol, just in case you wanted cookies, that part was really irrelevant to the point of my comment! Lol. Thanks for reading the whole thing if you did! ;D

[@HongKongBall8464]

How much sharps/flats can they have all?!!??!!?

[@eljheids1115]

Alto Clef = Viola, Alto Trombone, Alto Voice, Viola Da Gamba... Tenor Clef = Bassoon, Cello, Euphonium, Pop Male Voice, Tenor Voice...

[@wolfgangamadeusmozart1559]

What is the special on middle c

[@Evan-xs8ts]

"staive" I'm pretty sure its staff

[@emilywang7423]

am I the only one who has problem to draw the alto and tenor clefs

[@Texy88]

+Emily Wang It is a fiddly shape, certainly harder to draw than it first appears. However, when hand-drawn you may well see it done like the alto clef in this link: www.mymusictheory.com/images/stories/grade4/11/alto-hand-stave.jpg ...and you would just reposition that same shape for the tenor clef to the comparable position to the tenor clef in this video.

[@jiwenwang7000]

Hi my clefs are very messy

[@brumm3653]

@@Texy88 the simplest way is to write IK making sure it's correctly positioned vertically.

[@zoicarr4511]

just put 13

[@modernmozart813]

Excellent

[@Thelonelyscavenger]

Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle. Ive never heard of Alto and Tenor.

[@Airvtz]

thank you, very useful indeed :D cheers!

[@DaTopSourceofSources]

Because they can't the Tenor or Alto Clefs?

[@mitch19636]

Wonderful.... Thankyou.....

[@bethelchiew3831]

Thanks a lot:)

[@miamlovatic8652]

tysm

[@charlottewhyte9804]

I was told . Father charles goes down and ends battle for sharps and reverse for flats. easy

[@Alwpiano]

Alto Middle C = Treble B Tenor Middle C = Bass F

[@jc829]

Thanks

[@Alvida2101]

thanks :D

[@hasinduranaweera2254]

Thx

[@enochdong9322]

Who's here in 2021 ??

[@roblyndon5267]

Frederic Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle or, for the flats Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles Frederic

[@JohnArcycle]

As far as I know 1 flat is the key of F

[@panasonicyt1116]

THIS WAS 2010!

[@musictheoryguy]

This is 2022. 👍🏻

[@hanzimaster]

Sharp Key Signature: Fat Cows Go Down And Eat (something?)

[@totoscorner1509]

Ma

[@paigeauckland9491]

Fat cats go down alleys eating birds and for flats its bead greatest common factor