A clefs is the sign at the beginning of a staff which indicates the pitch of the notes on the staff. The G clef (treble clef) is used n the second staff line, which becomes the position for g'. The F clef (bass clef) is used on the 4th staff line, which becomes the position for f. The C clef has two positions: the alto/viola clef is used on the 3rd line, which becomes middle c, and the tenor clef is used on the 4th line, which becomes middle c.
Type of Clefs
Spacing
Clef Changes
The body always fills the 2 bottom spaces of the staff.
Heads and tails vary from engraver to engraver.
The ball of the clef always falls on the F line, and the 2 dots always are placed in the spaces above and below the F line.
The C clef is not often used anymore. The 2 versions of the C clef still in use are:
Clefs are usually indented 1/2 to 1 space from barline (9 to 18 EVPU's).
If the clef changes in the middle of a piece, use a clef 2 or 3 times smaller than usual.
If the clef change affects a whole measure, the small clef should be placed in front of the barline of that measure.
Ex. A
If the clef change continues onto the next system, the clef becomes regular size again.
Ex. B
The clef should be placed right in front of the first note in the new clef (there are a few exceptions).
Ex. C
