HOW TO READ TENOR CLEF 

Well actually this is incorrect… this is called an alto clef. I know this because I play the viola and I read alto clef… I AM VERY IMPORTANT PLEASE GIVE ME ATTENDANCE

i know of 3 instruments that use tenor clef, but only 1 that uses alto clef. therefore, tenor clef is more important.

I am staunchly anti-tenor clef. We still have ledger lines with tenor and music majors need to learn piano. Therefore, folks already learn treble clef. I can read tenor clef but it drives me crazy when bassoon music switches clefs Every. Stinking. Beat. (Milde, I’m looking at you!). I refer to tenor as “Hades Clef”. It is stupid clef and I will die on that hill. PS- I am also a flute player and ledger lines are not difficult to learn. Stravinsky in bass clef is no different than flute music.

Very helpful and informative. I’m a woodwind player, and an amateur orchestra composer and writing for /reading tenor clef has always been hard for me to do.

As a trombonist and bassoonist, I agree that alto clef is the worst! (And tenor is really nice)

As a flute and picc player. WHY DONT WE USE THE SOPRANO CLEF!!!!!! Literally sitting all rehearsal counting ledger lines sucks

Bassoon player and tenor speaking. Though the tenor clef had first caused me grief, I can confidently say that reading this clef has improved. Granted, I may occasionally have the brain freeze when reading tenor clef, but all I have to do is imagine the note being written in bass clef and count up five notes. And yes, I have seen the C clef in some choral music (especially in older publications). Back in the day, it wasn’t uncommon to see soprano, alto, and tenor parts written in C clef. I’ve sung tenor parts in tenor clef before; it’s a great way for the brain to get used to the clef. So I love the tenor clef (and the alto clef, too). (-:

Ledger lines, laughs in violin

9:08 Oh no. That’s too accurate but for a different reason haha. Sometimes I switch clarinets in the middle of a piece because it’ll turn a technical part into an easier key but I’m horrible at transposing so I end up writing down all the notes like that haha.

As a violist I would not comment this

5:25 - literally me anytime I have to read music higher that a high f on my flute . . .

I don’t know about everyone else but I pretend there is a treble clef then put it down one note and up an octave

There is another tenor clef used by vocal scores, the G clef with an 8 hung on the tail to show it is an octave lower.

Me who’s watching this 2 weeks after starting the basoon:

this is my sophomore year of high school and my band director told me I should learn bassoon even though I’ve played saxophone ever since 6th grade because he said I was a little bit different from the other kids and for me practicing scales helped me learn bass clef faster than anything else

As a cellist i just think of it as a fifth over the bass clef / a string over bass clef.

hey bassondan I am in 5th grade and I play clarinet I am planing in middle school to play bassoon do you recommend anything?

Could you do a video on how to properly do tonguing? That’s always something I’ve struggled to do a bassoon without it sound too airy.

Thank god I learned treble clef in front ensemble😂

Please … just … don't …. write below about G3 or A3 in tenor clef. There's a special place in hell for people who write in tenor clef using ledger lines _below_ the staff. Mozart did it once (for 2nd bassoon, when 1st bassoon was high), but he dead now.

if you are fimilar with Bb transposed parts, pretend its treble clef Bb like a trumpet part but use he same key rules as concert pitch

As an amateur bassoon player I've often wondered why the upper rage of the instrument was not better served by treble clef. Reasons? Fewer leger lines and most people familiar with bass/treble clefs. The tenor clef seems superfluous and does not really save too many upper leger lines.

violaaaaaaaaaaaaa

5:25 Violinists have to read and play notes above the treble clef all the time. No one went and invented a special clef for us, did they? Nope. They knew we could handle it on our own. Lol just kidding...sort of 😄

Euphonium player here: tenor clef is simple, because the notes are exactly the same as reading treble clef baritone parts.

I have officially been called out. I specifically chose the Teleman sonata for my college audition because it didn't have Tenor clef and I didn't want to write the note names.😅

very good....but not in this life time!!! lol......that clef is just stupid!!! lol

this guy is so funny and informative I love it :3

My teacher taught me a trick to figure out notes on tenor faster. Find the note if it were treble and go one up. D on treble, C on tenor wahoo I dont.. use this trick because i cant think fast enough but its still something

Way back when I played bassoon semi-regularly, we were just getting the internet. I had one piece of music that went into tenor clef for literally two measures. So I took the time to write the names of the notes on the page. That was the first and last time I thought about tenor clef.

Thank you so much. You inspired me to restart bassoon

for me as a tuba player i learned tenor clef just by playing a lot of trombone

I may not play bass on but like it’s factual for all instruments

your intro is 5 minutes long can you skip to the point

as a clarinet player, why am i watching this

Your videos are educational and entertaining! I played bassoon through college, but that was 10 years ago. Recently decided to start playing again and the Tenor Clef has always been rough on the few brain cells I still have😂

Ledger lines aren't that bad

I love the elegance of the way tenor works for high range trombone/bassoon etc., but for the record the bass clef Rite solo just looks like any violin concerto 🤣😜 (i totally understand y'all not wanting to do that tho!)

so helpful, and also love this editing

6:10 literally me next year

I can read music fine. I only write out the notes when I don't have sheet music paper to apply the notes to or if I know a melody by heart and need to memorize the notes. Like flash cards.

it is true that one must revert back to the primal stages of learning when introduced to an additional clef. I myself play the trombone, and being used to the bass clef, found my self esteem drop when I struggled to play simple ditties in treble.

Watching this right before I play professional-level music in a concert 🙌 (this is a cry for help)

i think it’s a bit silly that they were like “hmm yes alto saxophone let’s make it have the treble clef range” instead of calling an alto sax an alto sax because it’s in alto clef (same thing with alto clarinet)

I just started learning the alto clef to use on the alto trombone and your tips have been pretty helpful. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to pick up!

im a beginner bassoonist and all i wanna say is that i have something against g

8:28🤣

I have the hack of being able to c bass (on a B-flat instrument) and B-flat treble.

Second year of playing bassoon.....I needed this

The only thing I dislike about playing the bassoon is that horrible tenor clef!

The upside down clarinet image had me dying inside as a clarinetist.

istg the part about people writing down the note names on top of the staff got me dead 💀💀💀

As a bassoonist and former clarinet player, I make it easier by just going up one note from treble clef

this was actually really helpful and entertaining.

The viola underground has you in its sights

Very well done, sir!

W

Seems like tenor clef would be good for voice. Maybe that’s why it’s called tenor? Probably not.

dosent trombone play bass cleff

Whats the difference between alto and tenor clef btw?

This actually helps a lot because I still struggle with it (I am that one person who writes the notes above it 🥲)

You're really funny

I needed this, just got my first tenor clef piece for college 🥹 I have it down slightly but not fully