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Viola Online Reading Music


A, B, C, D, E, F, G

Seven letters of the alphabet are used to name notes in music.
Staff
staff
Musical notes are written on and between five parallel lines called a staff.
Treble Clef
treble clef
The Treble clef or G clef is used for violin music. It also is used by the viola and cello when the notes are in a higher range than the tenor and bass clefs.
Alto Clef
alto clef
The Alto clef is the most frequently used clef in viola music. Notice how the clef curves in the middle to point to the note middle C.
Bass Clef
bass clef
The Bass clef (or F clef) is the most frequently used clef in cello music. The two dots surround the line F.
Tenor Clef
tenor clef
The Tenor clef is used for cello music with notes in a range higher than notes found in the bass clef. The middle pointer of this clef points to middle C (the second line from the top of the staff).
Notes on the lines:
notes on lines
Memory tip for notes written on these lines using the alto clef: use each note as the first letter of the words in the sentence Fat Alley Cats Eat Garbage.
Notes in the spaces:
notes in spaces
Memory tip for notes written in the spaces: use each note as the first letter of the words in the sentence Green Birds Do Fly.
Notes which extend above and below the staff are written on ledger lines & spaces.
Notes below the staff:
notes below staff
Notes above the staff:
notes above staff
Consecutive letter names of notes using the Alto clef:
letter names