Most college music students are familiar with basic music notation – treble and bass clefs, staves, ledger lines, and accidentals. If you are uncomfortable with any of aspect of these concepts, you can review the basics under the Further Reading section of Lesson 1a
Even though most college music students are familiar with reading music, they are usually far more comfortable when working in the clef most associated with their primary instrument or voice-part. It is vital that musicians be fluent in not only these two most common clefs, but also with two additional clefs: alto clef and tenor clef. These clefs are commonly used for instruments such as viola, cello, trombone, and bassoon. Clefs are an essential way for a composer to communicate range while limiting ledger lines, so it is imperative that you become comfortable reading music in all of the most common clefs.
Treble clef is sometimes referred to as a G-clef, and bass clef can be called an F-clef. Alto and tenor clefs are known as the C-clefs.