Placing these clefs on a line fixes a reference note to that line-an F-clef fixes the F below middle C, a C-clef fixes middle C, and a G-clef fixes the G above middle C. The three clef symbols used in modern music notation are the G-clef, F-clef, and C-clef. Placing a clef on a staff assigns a particular pitch to one of the five lines or four spaces, which defines the pitches on the remaining lines and spaces. For other uses of 'Cle', see Cle (disambiguation).ĭiagram of treble, alto and bass clefs with identical-sounding musical notes aligned vertically Middle C represented on (from left to right) treble, alto, tenor and bass clefs Three clefs aligned to middle CĪ clef (from French: clef 'key') is a musical symbol used to indicate which notes are represented by the lines and spaces on a musical staff.
