# How to read Treble Cleff Easily for Cellists



## lpbug

One thing I found challenging as a cellist is to learn Treble Clef. There's just something about treble clef that's hard for me. Any Tips from anyone?


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## lpbug

bump .


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## Rasa

In conservatory we had this booklet with a series of exercise. First it's three notes spread out. Then all the notes aroudn those three, then the others... that for all 7 clefs. Try to find something like that?


Reading clefs is all about training. Take random pieces. Use a metronome really slow until you can read all notes in tempo 100 percent of the time. Then increase by two notches.


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## Mayerl

Why does there always have to be a "quick fix", why not try what a lot of us have had to do with our chosen instruments over the years and WORK at it.


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## Delicious Manager

You just have to learn it. No tips., no short cuts, no 'quick fix' - just a bit of work and practice.


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## Argus

Play some music intended for violin or flute, then it'll all be in the treble clef and you'll learn about transposing down octaves as well.


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## AmateurComposer

Three clefs are used in music written for the cello and cello parts in ensembles, namely, bass, tenor, and treble. A common short-cut advice for the tenor clef is to consider it as a bass clef and shift a string. Since there is no similar short-cut for the treble clef I can see the frustration of players looking for the easy way out.

I agree with all the previous posters suggesting that a player of a music instrument learn to be familiar with the notation under every clef mandatory for that instrument. Familiarity with one clef is no different from familiarity with another. Familiarity comes with practice and persistence.

I would appreciate, though, some elaboration about the ambiguity in the treble clef for cello parts between notation which is transposed one octave and the notation which is not transposed at all. When I started reading scores I was confused about this issue, and even now I am not always sure when to read the part as is and when to transpose.


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## Head_case

lpbug said:


> One thing I found challenging as a cellist is to learn Treble Clef. There's just something about treble clef that's hard for me. Any Tips from anyone?


You have 5 lines called 'stave'.

From the lowest to the top lines, they run in the order:
*
E *= Every
*G* = Good
*B = Boy
D* = Deserves
*F* = Food

The four spaces in between the stave lines from bottom to top have the notes called:

*F* = Face
*A *= fAce
*C* = faCe
*E* = facE

How hard could it be?? The rest is down to sheer practice and experience.

Unless you're using a transposing instrument, just rote learn the names of the spaces and play accordingly. It shouldn't take more than a week if you set your mind to it.

If you play the piccolo, you really need 20/20 vision. Trying to read those ridiculous upper ledger lines (about 5++!!!!) is just eye strain! You're fortunate with the bass clef, however remember most pianists learn both bass & treble, and have to do both at the same time with both hands! 

Count your right hand lucky


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