C Clefs

C Clefs








The C clef isn’t used much any more, except by viola players and
occasionally trombone and bassoon players.
It’s pretty easy to imagine the symbol looks like the letter C, which is what it used to be. It’s also obvious which line is being indicated. That big arrow pointer in the middle is what tells you which line or space is C.
The C clef is different than other clefs and can be confusing at first because it’s a moveable clef. Depending on which line the clef indicates, the name of the clef is different. Confused? Don’t worry about it. You don’t really need to know much about these clefs, but you should be able to generally identify them and know what they do. In case you already forgot, they’re C clefs. I couldn’t resist, so here are the names of the different C clefs. Feel free to forget them immediately. Except maybe you should remember that the alto clef is used by viola players.