Learn To Read Tenor Clef in 4 Easy Steps
If you found this blog post because you’re struggling with reading tenor clef on bassoon, welcome friend! We’ve all been there. But it doesn’t have to be difficult forever! I promise that with some smart strategies you will be reading tenor clef just as well as you can read bass clef. First, we’ll cover what tenor clef is and why we use it, then I have a few easy practice strategies for you to try on your own.
Intro to Tenor Clef & Common Questions
What is tenor clef?
Tenor clef comes from the family of “movable” or “C” clefs which includes soprano, alto, and tenor clef. These clefs are named for the fact that wherever they are placed on the staff, the line that goes through the center of the Clef is a C.
Tenor Clef is a “C” clef that is placed on the 4th line from the bottom of the staff. The line going through the center of the clef (4th line) is a Flick C (C4) which would be located one ledger line above the staff in bass clef.
Here’s a great video overview of tenor clef.
Why do bassoonists use tenor clef?
Tenor Clef allows bassoonists (and other instruments such as the cello and trombone) to read higher notes without as many ledger lines. The bassoons range extends all the way up to high E which would be 5 ledger lines and a space above bass clef. Reading that many ledger lines when you’re playing up high gets very tedious, so tenor clef allows those notes to be placed lower in the staff. You’ll usually see small sections of tenor clef wherever the melody is mostly around flick notes or above. The clefs can switch back and forth several times in one piece between bass and treble clefs, or it may only have one clef or the other. It all depends on the composer and the range of the piece.
I recommend you highlight clef changes in your music to make sure don’t miss them!
How do you read tenor clef?
Find the fourth line from the bottom of the staff - that is your Flick C on the bassoon.
The Lines of Tenor Clef are DFACE from the bottom up. The Spaces of Tenor Clef are EGBD from the bottom up.
And that’s it! It sounds simple, but it can be difficult to start reading notes in a new clef so here are some tips on how to practice tenor clef so you can play it fluently!
When Should You Learn Tenor Clef?
Ideally, a few months before you need it! For most of my students here in Texas, that meant we needed to start learning tenor clef in 8th grade so they could play it somewhat comfortably by 9th grade for their region band auditions. If you’re starting to learn to play high notes above bass clef on bassoon, you should start to learn tenor clef as soon as you are comfortable with the new high note fingerings.
It’s never too late to learn! A lot of people don’t try tenor clef until they have to, and that’s ok too. These techniques will help you become more comfortable and confident with tenor clef no matter how long you’ve been playing.
My 4-Step Process to Learn Tenor Clef
Prepare
Write
Sightread
Practice
sTEP 1: Prepare Your High Notes
Tenor Clef is used almost exclusively for higher notes on the bassoon, so if you don’t already know the notes above the bass clef, now’s the time to learn! It’s really difficult to learn new fingerings and a new clef simultaneously. I recommend learning the new notes first, then learning tenor clef once you’re comfortable with the fingerings.
For most bassoonists, I would recommend learning all of the notes up to High B-flat. Use a good fingering chart and be very precise with your fingerings. The high notes have pretty strange fingerings, but it’s important to get them right from the start to ensure you have good tone and response on every note. Consistency is very important when building new habits.
How to Practice High Notes
Extend your scales. If you aren’t already playing your scales two or three octaves, try adding notes until you can play them full range.
Practice 2 note combos. Pick two high notes next to each other like High G and High A and practice going back and forth between them SLOWLY. Only increase the speed if you are 100% confident in the fingerings. Then gradually increase the speed until you can move easily between 2 notes. The goal here is accuracy and repetition. The more you do it right, the easier it will be.
Play long notes with a drone. Pick one high-note fingering you want to practice. Play a drone of that note on your tuner then play and hold the matching note on your bassoon. Try to blend your sound with the drone and hold the note stable and in tune. Every time you take a break to breathe, wiggle your fingers and reset them in the same fingering. Try this for a minute or so.
sTEP 2: Write in Tenor Clef
“Writing in all of the note names seems helpful at first, but it really just makes it MUCH harder for you to memorize the new clef in the long run. ”
So you might have read the title for this step and thought “Yay! that means I can write all the note names above my music!” I’m afraid not. Like many teachers, I DO NOT recommend writing in the note names above your music to help you read tenor clef. In fact, I would recommend you limit yourself to only 1 note name written per line of music max. The only exceptions are if you have a sudden leap between notes or an abrupt change from bass clef to tenor clef. Writing in all of the note names seems helpful at first, but it really just makes it harder for you to memorize the new clef in the long run. I’ve even seen students write note names incorrectly and then struggle to relearn a piece with the correct notes. JUST DON’T DO IT!
So what do I mean…
There are a few ways to practice reading and writing tenor clef. Here are a few of my favorites:
Use flashcards to practice note names. You can get tenor clef flashcards on Amazon or make your own! Write a single note in tenor clef on one side, then write the note name on the other. Practice naming the notes one by one until you know them all. You can also use flashcards to practice different fingerings. Instead of saying the note when you see the card, play it on the bassoon instead.
Use a website or app to quiz yourself. There are some great free websites to practice tenor clef, including notationtraining.com and music-theory-practice.com. Or try searching “tenor clef” in the App Store and see what apps are available for your phone. I’ve used Tenor Tutor with students in the past.
Write and play your scales in tenor clef. Take a piece of manuscript paper and write the tenor clef and key signature of your scale. Then write the notes in whole notes going up and down the scale. Then once you’ve written it down, play the notes on the bassoon.
3. Sightread in Tenor Clef
“My favorite book to use for sightreading with students is the Key to Tenor Clef by Gilbert Hertz. It starts with very simple melodies centered around flick C and gradually gets more complex in range and rhythms.”
Ok so you can play most of the notes on the bassoon, and you have a basic idea of what notes go where on the tenor clef staff…now what? This is where sightreading can help!
Sightreading is when we play through a new piece of music with no preparation. Sit down and try it from beginning to end without stopping or restarting. Don’t dwell on mistakes and don’t feel like you have to play it perfectly. When you first learn to play tenor clef, I recommend sightreading an easy tenor clef song every time you practice. This method made the most difference for me when I was learning tenor clef in high school. Short and easy melodies that don’t jump around too much are best when first starting out.
My favorite book for tenor clef sightreading practice is the Key to Tenor Clef. It starts with simple melodies centered around flick C and gradually gets more complex in range and rhythms. Learning Tenor Clef andIntroducing the Tenor Clef are also great options. If you don’t want to buy a new book, try reading the tenor clef songs from the free bassoon website musicandthebassoon.org. Unit 39 onwards has some great tenor clef melodies you can try.
4. Practice REpertoire with tenor Clef
Once you can sightread fairly comfortably in tenor clef, the next step is to start playing music with tenor clef! The Weissenborn 50 Advanced Studies (Vol 2) are an excellent option for practicing tenor clef.
Ask your lesson teacher to help you pick a solo piece with tenor clef or try learning one of my favorite intermediate or advanced bassoon solos.
If you struggle with reading the notes as you’re learning the new music go back and review your flashcards or sightread more easy tenor clef songs as needed. Try not to write the note names in and focus on connecting the fingerings with the notes in tenor clef.
I hope that with these tips you’ll be playing fluently in tenor clef in no time! Be patient with yourself as you go. Learning a new clef is like learning a new language. Sometimes it just takes a while to feel natural but your hard work will pay off! Don’t forget to take breaks and continue to play things you enjoy even while you challenge yourself to learn new skills. Best of luck on your tenor clef journey!
