clef
pronunciation
How to pronounce clef in British English:
UK [klef]
How to pronounce clef in American English:
US [klɛf]
-
- Noun:
- a musical notation written on a staff indicating the pitch of the notes following it
Word Origin
- clef (n.)
- 1570s in a musical sense, "character on a staff to indicate its name and pitch," from Middle French clef (12c.) "key, musical clef, trigger," from a figurative or transferred use of classical Latin clavis, which had only the literally sense "key" (see slot (n.2)). In the Middle Ages, the Latin word was used in the Guidonian system for "the lowest note of a scale," which is its basis (see keynote). The most common is the treble, violin, or G-clef, which crosses on the second line of the staff, denoting that as the G above middle C on the piano.
Example
- 1. Please name the notes below according to the clef .
- 2. There is alto clef in it .
- 3. Rebellious pirate clef , fighted a lone battle and died on a pool of blood , in an attempt to let the savior wage a life-and-death battle against frade .
- 4. A singer whose voice lies in the alto clef .
- 5. A movable clef that puts middle c on one of the lines of a staff .