The tenor clef is a C clef on the 4th line. Cellists, bassoonists and trombonists use it for high passages. A note appears and you choose its name. You answer 10 questions and see your score at the end.
Tip: Middle C is on the fourth line, so most of the staff lies below it. From the bottom, the lines are D F A C E and the spaces are E G B D. Count down from the fourth line to find the lower notes.
How the tenor clef works
The tenor clef puts middle C (C4) on the fourth line, which leaves three lines below and one above. The staff runs from D3 on the bottom line to E4 on the top line. It lets music in the tenor range be written on the staff instead of on many ledger lines.
Who reads the tenor clef?
Cello, bassoon, euphonium and trombone parts switch to tenor clef when the music climbs high enough that bass clef would need many ledger lines. For still higher notes, the part moves on to treble clef. Tenor voices used it in older choral scores.
Need a refresher? Read about the tenor clef in the music dictionary, and keep your sense of beat sharp with the online metronome.
More note reading: identify notes in all clefs →