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

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.

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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