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Is it harmful to learn the treble clef as well?
- Thread starter sheepshank
- Start date
I agree with the others. More knowledge is never a bad thing. And really, it's just a continuation of bass clef. Everything is still in the same order. Just proceed from middle C. And always remember that it's better to spend 5 minutes memorizing where one note is than it is to spend 5 minutes attempting to memorize the whole thing. But if you insist:
For the lines...Every Good Boy Does Fine (EGBDF)
For the spaces...FACE
For the lines...Every Good Boy Does Fine (EGBDF)
For the spaces...FACE
I started out with playing guitar & trumpet, both treble clef instruments. I found it helped to try to read piano music on the grand staff. Even if you just do a little for practice, it helps separate those (bass & treble clef) in your mind. Hope this helps.
I've used the treble clef longer than the bass clef. I learned both with early childhood piano lessons but began singing in Glee Club, A Capella, Madrigal, and Vocal Jazz ensembles starting in high school and continuing when I went back to college for a bit in 1985. Although you would find some vocal scoring for tenors in the bass clef, normally it was presented in the treble clef because they'd have to put all those lines above the staff when scoring it in the base clef. I played bass for most of my years without doing any sight reading. I'm more comfortable with reading the bass clef now, but the treble clef is second nature for me. So I'm at the opposite end of your experience.Hi Basstalkers,
Im a musician thats been struggling to learn reading sheet music for most of my playing life. Started out on guitar and read mostly tabs and some sheet music. Lately I´ve only studied bass and bass clef.
The problem is, I have started practising some etudes i treble clef, and I mix it up so much. I dont notice Im off until things starting to sound awkward and then I realize Im in the wrong key or clef. Some of it actually sounds cool in both clefs tho.
Has anyone experienced the same? Should I stick to one clef or just continue with both, hoping that I get better at reading both clefs?
have a nice day,
Espen
Studied trombone for years and had to know alto, tenor and sometimes soprano clef as well. IT"S A PAIN IN THE ASS!!! My advice is concentrate on recognising intervals rather than each note. When you look at it as a second followed by a fourth followed by a sixth etc you're reading twice as fast cause you're reading two notes at a time. After that, transposing becomes easier once you know the root note and go from there. If you already know this I apologise but if you don't it's useful info. Good luck.
Hi, thanks for all the useful input, and some humour in there too. Now I know I have to stick with it and go through a period of confusion (hopefully not transitioning into a keyboard player lol)
Thanks again
Thanks again
Dont do it...
You'll morph into a keyboard player.
Then you have to get a cape...etc.
Bad juju.
The good news is: rhythm is notated the same way on treble and bass clefs!
I'm actually serious in pointing this out, because the really difficult thing in reading music is rhythm, not the notes. There are not more than about 2 dozens different notes you need to be able to read(*), whereas there are infinitely many different rhythms: just have a look at sheet music of serious funk stuff, with all those tricky syncopations. Even the most seasoned sight readers may occasionally stumble on those.
(*) The situation is somehow different in this respect for piano players who usually have to read busy chordal stuff, but fortunately that is mostly not the case when playing bass.
I'm actually serious in pointing this out, because the really difficult thing in reading music is rhythm, not the notes. There are not more than about 2 dozens different notes you need to be able to read(*), whereas there are infinitely many different rhythms: just have a look at sheet music of serious funk stuff, with all those tricky syncopations. Even the most seasoned sight readers may occasionally stumble on those.
(*) The situation is somehow different in this respect for piano players who usually have to read busy chordal stuff, but fortunately that is mostly not the case when playing bass.
Started sight reading in the 4th grade playing an alto sax.
By 8th grade I was transposing everything I read getting sent down to bari sax then bass guitar for jazz band.
Every skill takes practice, but those of us that were in music classes in school had the benefit of having to study for a passing grade vs wanting to learn as adults.
Anything can be learned if you can keep yourself consistent,
It's definitely not harmful to learn treble clef in addition to bass clef. In fact, with the exception of reading parts written specifically for bass, you will find that it is more generally useful to read the treble clef. More music is written in treble clef. Lead sheets use treble clef, unless they are special "bass editions". Once you have learned to read at all, the next step is learning to transpose while reading. You can think of reading different clefs as similar to transposing into a different key. One thing you should learn early on is how to transpose "up" an octave in the bass clef. If you are reading the left hand part for a piano piece, it is written as it sounds, while the bass is written an octave higher than it sounds, so if you want to play that part on the bass you have to transpose it up in your head.
Very harmful... The treble clef is a gateway clef that can lead to harder, more dangerous clefs.
in all honestly, to really be well rounded i think fluency in at least two clefs is necessary.
i was just sent a chart last week, jazz/fusion stuff with tons of notes, whole thing (bass part..) written in treble staff. it happens.
most things are more readily available in treble clef anyway.
my theory teacher used to insist that you should learn treble, alto, tenor, and bass.
you will not mess yourself up, you'll just suffer from a little clef-lexia as you are learning the two. you'll get there, just be patient and keep at it.
i was just sent a chart last week, jazz/fusion stuff with tons of notes, whole thing (bass part..) written in treble staff. it happens.
most things are more readily available in treble clef anyway.
my theory teacher used to insist that you should learn treble, alto, tenor, and bass.
you will not mess yourself up, you'll just suffer from a little clef-lexia as you are learning the two. you'll get there, just be patient and keep at it.
Let's see...all of my beginner band students learn both clefs (including at least three ledger lines above and below the each staff) before they even make a sound on an instrument and they turn out fine, I'd say no. They continue to be tested on it regularly as long as they in band. If an 11-year old can learn both treble and bass clef successfully and not suffer any negative effects, anyone can (and every musician should).
Yes!! Treble clef is the debil !
I learned both, funny I remember treble clef, but have forgot bass clef!
I played keys for a band for 5 years, all we had was treble clef & chords. I play bass by tab !!
I learned both, funny I remember treble clef, but have forgot bass clef!
I played keys for a band for 5 years, all we had was treble clef & chords. I play bass by tab !!
No it's not harmful at all. You may not only be playing the bass in future. A lot of people like to complement their bass playing with something melodic when they want to compose songs, so if you choose to play the piano or the guitar too then it will be useful. Working out the melody to your songs is often a way to write your own basslines around.
If you're going to want to explore music in it's entirety(ie how all the parts fit together), there's no getting away from learning the treble clef as it's not a good idea to see things in isolation. If anything, I think the question should be rephrased as: "Is it a bad idea to only have knowledge of the bass clef?". And the answer is clearly yes because it would almost certainly stunt your development as a musician.
If you're going to want to explore music in it's entirety(ie how all the parts fit together), there's no getting away from learning the treble clef as it's not a good idea to see things in isolation. If anything, I think the question should be rephrased as: "Is it a bad idea to only have knowledge of the bass clef?". And the answer is clearly yes because it would almost certainly stunt your development as a musician.
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Every piano player learns both. It is no problem at all. You get used to switching.
