How to Read Music in Treble Clef and Bass Clef (A B C and DO RE MI)

By reading this page, you are going to learn to read music easily and quickly. And it’s free!

Music Note? Staff? Clef?

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Confused about music notes? You don’t know what is a staff or a music clef? Try our two minutes fun interactive mini tutorial, Staff and Treble Clef (it opens in a new tab):

A mini online interactive tutorial to understand the G (Treble) Clef and the staff (or stave)
Fun and interactive, a mini tutorial to understand the music notes, the staff (or stave) and the G (Treble) Clef

Or just keep reading this page and check the two annotated images about G and F clefs below.

What Clef do You Need to Learn to Read the Sheet Music of Your Musical Instrument?

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The G  clef, called Treble Clef, is used with sheet music for piano (right hand), guitar, violin, flute, oboe, clarinets, saxophones, horn, trumpet… For the singers, the Treble clef is used with the following voices: tenor, contralto, alto, mezzo-soprano, soprano.

The treble clef (G clef) is placed on the second line of the staff. So, the music note on the second line is a G.
The G (Treble) clef is drawn from the second line of the music staff. So, the music note on the second line is a G.

The F clef, called Bass clef, is used on sheet music for piano (left hand), cello, double bass, bass guitar, bassoon, trombone, tuba, timpani… Baritone and bass voice use the Bass clef too.

The bass clef (F clef) is placed on the fourth line of the staff. So, the music note on the fourth line is a F.
The F (Bass) clef is drawn from the fourth line of the staff. So, the music note on the fourth line is a F.

How do You Want to Name the Music Notes: A B C D E F G or DO RE MI FA SOL LA SI?

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Mainly used in Anglo Saxon countries (and so in jazz), the alphabetical musical notation uses the letters of the alphabet: A B C D E F G.

The Syllabic musical notation – DO RE MI FA SOL LA SI – is used by Italian, Portuguese, Greek, French, Russian, Flemish, Romanian, Spanish, Hebrew and Turkish people.

A = LA
B = SI
C = DO
D = RE,
E = MI
F = FA
G = SOL

If you want to learn more (you don’t need it to learn to read music notes), follow name of music notes.

Learn to Read Music with YouTube Videos

Show me the playlist on Youtube (open in a new tab) for A B C D E F G or for DO RE MI FA SOL LA SI

We are going to see how to learn to read music in treble clef. But you’ll be able to change to Bass Clef later if you wish.

Watch Your First Video to Learn to Read your First Two Notes!

If you want to learn to read music with A B C D E F G (alphabetical notation), watch the first video below (G and C)

 

…but if you want to learn to read music with DO RE MI FA SOL LA SI (syllabic notation) watch this one below (SOL and DO)

 

Too easy with only 2 notes ? Jump to 3 notes! Or 4 notes! Or even 10 notes!

Each video has always an a and b musical reading :

  • with the musical reading a, the new music note – here the C / DO is in color to help you to recognize it :
2 LINES - Sheet Music 2a in Treble Clef with C G notes, C is in color
Musical reading 2a : C / DO and G /SOL
  • with the musical reading b, the same new music note – so, here, always the C / DO – is displayed normally in black and you must read it without the help of color :
2 LINES - Sheet Music 2b in Treble Clef with C G notes, C is in black
Musical reading 2b : always C / DO and G /SOL but no more color

When you can read easily the musical reading 2b (meaning, reading the notes without the help of color) you’re ready to learn to read a new music note !

Learn to read 3 Music Notes!

Launch the video below to name the new note E (alphabetical notation)…

 

… or launch this one to name it MI (syllabic notation)

 

When you can read the 3 music notes easily without the help of color, it’s time to add a 4th note to read!

Learn to read 4 Music Notes!

Choose between the two following videos to name the new music note to read D or RE

 

 

I got it! Show me all the videos to learn to read music!

If you don’t like to learn with videos, read below.

Choose your Favorite Way to Learn to Read Music

– I just want to keep learning to read music this way

Choose your clef and notation below. Or you can use the menu Music Reading.

Treble (G) Clef

Treble Clef: Alphabetical notation A B C D E F G (16 videos)

Treble Clef: Syllabic notation Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si (16 videos)

Bass (F) Clef

Bass Clef: Alphabetical notation A B C D E F G (audio only, videos coming soon)

Bass Clef: Syllabic notation Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si (audio only, videos coming soon)

– I want learn to read music with a game

Try the game Read Music Notes HN. You can learn to read music both in Treble Clef and Bass Clef, both with A B C and DO RE MI.

Learn to read in G (treble) and F (bass) clef with or without the help of color
Learn to read music easily and quickly, with or without the help of color notes.

– I want something with even more fun

Sure! Try our video game Sheet Music Treble Clef and Bass Clef HN with tons of options!

A true video game to learn to read music notes the fun way! Treble Clef and Bass Clef, Do Re Mi and A, B, C, tons of options.
With Sheet Music Treble Clef and Bass Clef HN you can choose the music notes you want to learn or improve. A true video game with Lives, Hi-Score, Beginner and Expert Mode, Dynamite Stick (optional), etc.

– I want more choice for the speed of each musical reading

You find the musical readings too slow or too fast?  Have a look at Read Music Notes Sing’n Learn HN. The program offers a choice of 5 different speeds: Largo, Adagio, Andante, Moderato, Allegro.

Read Music Notes Sing'n Learn use color music notes for an easy progressive learning
Read Music Notes Sing’n Learn offers a choice of five different speeds.

More Games to Learn to Read Music the Fun Way

Music Notes in Space HN

Learn note values (whole note, half note, quarter note…) the fun way with Music Notes In Space HN.

Notes value (whole note, half note, quarter note…) the fun way with Music Notes In Space

Play It By Ear HN

Say good bye to boring old musical dictation and music lessons: ear training has just become fun with Play It By Ear HN !

Practice ear training the fun way with music notes in treble clef and bass clef

Tetris Music Notes HN

Tetris Music Notes HN is  free Tetris like game using the height music notes learnt with the free online music readings “2a” to “8b” in G clef (A B C and Do Re Mi).

Learn to read treble clef the fun way with Tetris Music Notes HN. A B C... and DO RE MI... music notation, 3 speeds, Hi-Score... and more.

Music Notes Cracker HN

Music Note Cracker HN teaches you how to recognize different types of rests and the music notes to which they correspond.

A breakout game to learn the music rests (half rest, quarter rest...) the fun way. When the ball hit a music rest, a music note of equivalent duration (half note, quarter note) comes out.