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Basic

Staff

Elements

C Clefs (cont.)

Tenor Clef

The Tenor clef identifies the fourth line of the staff as Middle C:

Though the Bass clef remains the "home" clef of most cello and bassoon parts, these parts can creep high enough above the staff to justify using the Tenor clef. A performer might find the following passage easier to read in the Tenor clef:

than in the Bass clef:

Musicians specializing in these particular instruments are accustomed to reading music notated in the Tenor Clef when necessary.

The names of the lines and spaces of the Tenor clef are as follows:

Tenor

clef