The course › Unit 5: The bass clef and the grand staff
Lesson 25 of 72 · Your left hand’s staff and its first three landmarks
Your left hand plays mostly in the low notes, so it gets its own staff, with a different clef: the bass clef.
It begins with a big dot on the 4th line, and its two little dots sit on either side of that same line. So the 4th line is the F line: the first F below middle C, the one under your left index finger (finger 2) in C position.
F, on the 4th line, between the two dots of the clef.
Did you know?: Just as the treble clef grew out of a letter G, the bass clef grew out of an old letter F, reshaped over the centuries. That’s why it’s also called the F clef. Cellos, double basses, bassoons and trombones read the bass clef too.
Middle C shows up in the bass clef too: this time it’s written above the staff, on a short ledger line. It’s the same C, the same key: only the staff changes.
Lower down, in the 2nd space, is Bass C, an octave below middle C: the note under your left pinky (5) in C position.
Your three landmarks in the bass clef: Bass C (2nd space), Bass F (4th line), middle C (ledger line above).
Why this way: One new thing at a time: you meet the bass clef on its own, with three landmarks, before putting the two staffs together. This is called chunking: small pieces, well mastered, that you put together afterwards.
Bass C, Bass F or middle C: play the note at its exact place, with your left hand.
Bass C with your pinky (5), F with your index finger (2). Nothing lights up: read the bass clef.
Treble clef or bass clef? Check the clef before you play: middle C can be written in both!
Your bass clef landmarks, making music: the left hand swings between C and F. Your left hand plays the bass notes, one whole note per measure: Bass C (finger 5) or F (finger 2). The computer plays the melody.
← Lesson 24: A, B, treble C Lesson 26: Left-hand C position in the bass clef →