Question

What is the difference between treble and bass clef? And what exactly is pitch? Explain it like I don't know ANY music ( I really don't)

Answer 1

Treble clef is the clef girls and high pitched instruments read and the bass clef is the clef boys and low pitched instruments read. Both male and female could both read on treble but they created bass clef so the men wouldn't have to read off of lines way below the staff. Pitch is how high or how low a note is played and it also means if the note is flat or sharp.

Answer 2

Wait, what >.> Boy's and girls? Why should that matter?

Answer 3

Because a girl has a higher vocal range than a boy and a boy has a lower vocal range than a girl. But some boys can sing high notes like a girl and some girls can sing lower notes like a boy. I am a vocal major and i am a mezzo-soprano. i can sing soprano 1 all the way to tenor 1.

Answer 4

Okay, what if it's only on an instrument like a violin? Then why would it matter there?

Answer 5

I play the violin also, but the violin would read the treble clef because C4 is in their range. But say the viola, the viola would read the alto clef because of their range, the cello bass clef, and the bass, bass clef. It all depends on the instrument. Every instrument sounds differently for a reason.

Answer 6

Hmm, okay then. Thanks, So basically each instrument uses only 1 staff?

Answer 7

yes, but then you could transpose. And that is when you read a differant clef but you are transposing the notes into a different clef.

Answer 8

Hmm, okay then. Thank you! Also one question, what does it mean if say a piece is in E minor? Or A major?

Answer 9

It just means the key the piece is in. It would still use the same clef but have a different number of flats or sharps that are needed to be played in order to make it "A Major" or "e minor. (ps. minors are always lower cased and Majors are always capitalized)

Answer 10

I appreciate the legitimately music related question in this section of the website. Just for that I'm gonna add my little tid bit.

This image is the chord wheel. It shows the number of sharps and flats in each key. All who write, read, or play music should get to know it well.

Answer 11

@tanner23456, no problem >.> Kinda seemed like it would go here eh? And thanks for the chart!

Answer 12

What does it mean by number of sharps though? How many in a 4/4 section, or the whole piece or relative to what?

Answer 13

well, number of flats and sharps go in an order.

Flats: B E A D G C F

sharps are just backwards: F C G D A E B

In other words If something was in the key of Eb it would have three flats and they would be Bb Eb & Ab

Or lets say we had the key of D (2 sharps), your sharps would be F# & C#

If something is in 4/4, that represents the timing of the piece.

The top number represents the number of beats in the measure
and the bottom represents what note gets the beat.

in a 3/4 case, there would be 3 beats in a measure and the quarter note gets the beat.

Answer 14

Why would the sharps be F# or C#? What decides that though? I get the timing thing though. How do you know what the flats are though?

Answer 15

It always goes in order:

If there's 1 flat, the flat is Bb

if there's 2 flats, they are Bb, and Eb

if there are 3 flats, the are Bb, Eb, and Ab

and so on.....

it follows the order of flats and sharps I listed above.

Same goes for sharps but in reverse:

If there's 1 sharp, the flat is F#

if there are 2 sharps, they are F#, and C#

if there are 3 sharps, they are F#, C#, and G#

and so on.....

Flats: B E A D G C F

sharps are just backwards: F C G D A E B

Answer 16

Hmm, okay then, thank you! Really appreciate it!

Answer 17

No problem. Glad to help.