Bass clef notes,
at a glance.
The bass clef is the bottom staff in piano music, usually for the left hand. Its five lines are G, B, D, F and A, and its four spaces are A, C, E and G. Learn them below, then practice in the game until you can name each note at a glance.
- Lines
- GBDFA
- Spaces
- ACEG
Name the note before it reaches the line: play it on the on-screen piano, a MIDI keyboard or your own piano through the microphone. The game starts on the easiest notes and waits for you.
Clef Chase · Left hand · C D E F G
The notes on the lines.
G ood B oys D o F ine A lways
From the bottom line up, the bass clef lines are G, B, D, F and A. The usual sentence is Good Boys Do Fine Always.
The clef itself is an F clef: its two dots sit on either side of the fourth line from the bottom, and that line is F, the F just below middle C.
The notes in the spaces.
A ll C ows E at G rass
The four spaces, from the bottom up, are A, C, E and G: All Cows Eat Grass.
Middle C and ledger lines.
Middle C sits on one ledger line just above the bass staff: the same key as the middle C below the treble staff, written from the other side. It is the C closest to the middle of the piano.
Just under middle C, B hangs above the top line. Below the staff, F hangs under the bottom line and E takes the first ledger line below.
Where these notes are on the piano.
Every step on the staff, line to space or space to line, is the next white key. The bass staff covers the white keys from about the second C below middle C up to middle C, the part your left hand plays most.
Start with three landmarks: middle C on its ledger line, the F the clef points at, and the C in the second space. Read every other note as a step or a skip from the nearest landmark.
Good to know.
What are the notes of the bass clef?
The lines are G, B, D, F and A from the bottom up, and the spaces are A, C, E and G. Middle C sits on one ledger line above the staff.
How do you remember the bass clef notes?
Lines: Good Boys Do Fine Always. Spaces: All Cows Eat Grass. Then learn landmark notes, such as middle C and the F between the clef dots, and read the rest from them.
Where is middle C in the bass clef?
On one short ledger line just above the five lines of the staff.
Why is it called the F clef?
Its two dots sit around the fourth line, which is the F below middle C. The clef marks where F is, and every other note is read from there.