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Alto clef notes

The alto clef’s lines, from the bottom up, are F A C E G, and its spaces are G B D F. The point where the clef’s two curves meet marks the middle line, and that line is middle C. It is the viola’s clef.

Middle C, C4

The middle line

C3C4C5

Name the alto clef notes

A note appears on the staff: tap its letter. Each answer plays the note, and the score at the end counts how many you got and how long each took.

Ten notes on the alto clef. Name each one as fast as you can.

The lines: F A C E G

From the bottom line up, the alto clef’s five lines are F A C E G. Say “Fat Alley Cats Eat Garbage” to remember them.

FACEG

The spaces: G B D F

The four spaces between the lines, from the bottom up, are G B D F. Say “Green Bananas Don’t Fall” to remember them.

GBDF

Middle C and the ledger lines

The viola’s notes sit around middle C, so in alto clef most of them fit on the staff. Its lowest note, the open C string an octave below middle C, hangs in the space under the first ledger line below. Above the top line, G, comes A and then B on the first ledger line above.

B2C3D3E3A4B4C5D5

Every note from C3 to C5

The alto clef chart, lowest note first, and where each one sits. Middle C is lit.

C3D3E3F3G3A3B3C4D4E4F4G4A4B4C5

Swipe the chart for the higher notes.

Every alto clef note from C5 down to C3 and where it sits
NoteWhere it sits
C5The space over the first ledger line above
B4The first ledger line above the staff
A4The space above the staff
G4The top line
F4The fourth space
E4The fourth line
D4The third space
C4, middle CThe middle line
B3The second space
A3The second line
G3The first space
F3The bottom line
E3The space below the staff
D3The first ledger line below the staff
C3The space under the first ledger line below

The C clef

The alto clef is a C clef: the point where its two curves meet marks middle C, here on the middle line. Every other note is counted from there: a step up is the D in the third space, a step down the B in the second.

The viola reads alto clef almost all the time, and the alto trombone often does. Moved up to the fourth line, the same sign is the tenor clef, which cellos, bassoons and trombones read for their higher notes.

The other clefs: treble clef and bass clef.

Questions about the alto clef

What are the notes of the alto clef?

From the bottom, the lines are F A C E G and the spaces are G B D F. In order up the staff that is F G A B C D E F G, with middle C on the middle line.

What instruments use alto clef?

The viola above all, and the alto trombone. In older music it was also the alto voice’s clef.

Why does the viola read alto clef?

Most of the viola’s notes sit within an octave either side of middle C. In alto clef they fit on the staff, where treble clef would need ledger lines below and bass clef ledger lines above. For its highest passages the viola switches to treble clef.

Where is middle C on the alto clef?

On the middle line, the one the clef points to. That is what makes it a C clef.

What is the difference between alto clef and tenor clef?

Both use the same C clef sign. In alto clef it points to the middle line, so that line is middle C; in tenor clef it points to the fourth line, which is then middle C. Cellists, bassoonists and trombonists read tenor clef for their higher notes.

Is there a trick for reading alto clef if I know treble clef?

Read the note as if it were in treble clef and go one letter up: the bottom line is E in treble clef and F in alto clef. The alto note is also an octave lower.

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