How to Draw a Treble Clef for Beginners

The treble clef is one of the most beautiful and recognizable musical symbols there is—but also one of the trickiest to draw neatly! In this article, we’ll show you 2 ways to master the treble clef: first by drawing it in small pieces, and then by doing it all with one continuous line. We’ll also review how to read notes with the treble clef and explore other clefs you’ll see as you continue learning music. Let’s get started!

How do you draw a treble clef?

Draw a vertical line that extends slightly above and below all 5 lines of the staff.
Add a semi-circle from the top of the line to the 4th line of the staff on the right.
Draw a semi-circle connecting the 4th line to the bottom line on the left.
Continue the curve to make a spiral shape around the 2nd line.
Add a small tail or swoop to the left at the bottom of the vertical line.

Section 1 of 5:

Drawing a Treble Clef: Beginner Method

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Make the line a little longer than the staff is tall so that it hangs off both ends. If you’re just practicing, you can draw the treble clef anywhere on the staff you like! If you’re going to be writing music, place the clef all the way to the left of each line of music.
Starting at the very top of the line you just drew, draw a small semi-circle that curves to the right and ends on the second line from the top of the staff (this is where the note D goes). Now, your treble clef should look like a long and skinny letter “P.” ^{[1]
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This semi-circle is bigger and curves to the left of the vertical line. Start from where your first semi-circle ended on the D line and curve out to the left. Bring the curve back to where the vertical line and the bottom line of the staff intersect (this is where the note E goes). ^{[2]
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Make another semi-circle to the right of the vertical line, continuing from where you left off in the last step. The top of the semi-circle should meet the vertical line near the third line of the staff (where the note B goes).
Continue the spiral past the vertical line and curve down to the second line of the staff. It should look like the treble clef is making a spiral or circle around the second line (where the note G goes). ^{[3]
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Go to the bottom of the very first vertical line you drew and draw a small “swoop” to the left. Now, your treble clef is finished!

Section 2 of 5:

Drawing a Treble Clef: Advanced Method

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With this method, you’ll be drawing your treble clef in 1 continuous line. Starting from the second line of the staff from the bottom (G), spiral up and to the right, touching the third line (B) at the top of the curve and the bottom line (E) at the bottom of the curve. Continue the spiral so it meets the G line again to the left of where you started. ^{[4]
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2
Draw a diagonal line from the end of the spiral to just above the staff. From where your spiral left off, draw a slightly curved diagonal line going up and slightly to the right. Continue the line so it goes just above the top line of the staff (F). When you pass the top line, make a small curve to the left (like you’re making a loop at the top of the top of the clef). ^{[5]
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- Tip: Imagine a notehead sitting in the space above the top line of the staff (high G). The loop at the top of your treble clef should be big enough to circle around this note.
3
Draw a line down through the center of the clef to finish. Complete the loop at the top of the clef by continuing your line downward. The line doesn’t have to be a perfectly straight line, but it must intersect the spiral you drew in the first step. Continue down past the bottom line of the staff (E) and add a small swoop to the left. Your treble clef is complete!
- Want more practice? Check out this treble clef drawing practice worksheet from musicfun.net!

Section 3 of 5:

Reading Treble Clef

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1
Use “Every Good Burger Deserves Fries” to read the line notes. This is a common mnemonic device to remember which notes belong on which line of the staff. From bottom to top, the lines represent E, G, B, D, and F. ^{[6]
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- If you forget your mnemonic device, just remember that the spiral of the treble clef always circles around the G line.
2
Remember “FACE” to read the space notes. From bottom to top, the 4 spaces on the staff represent the notes F, A, C, and E. ^{[7]
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Research source} This one’s pretty easy to remember since “face” rhymes with “space.”
- The spaces continue above and below the staff, too. The space right above the top line is G, and the space directly underneath is D.
3
Read ledger lines to identify notes above or below the staff. Most instruments and singers have a range wider than just the notes that fit within the staff. To “extend” the staff up or down, small lines called ledger lines are placed above or below a notehead that lies outside the staff to help musicians read them. Depending on how high or low the note is, there may be multiple ledger lines. ^{[8]
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- For example, if you want to read the next note down from D (the space just underneath the bottom line of the staff), you’d draw a short ledger line where the note will go, then draw a notehead on that line. Now, you can read the note C!
4
Remember that notes ascend alphabetically, A through G. If you’re still learning to read sheet music , it helps to remember that notes always go up in alphabetical order. ^{[9]
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Research source} So, say you know that B is on the third line, but you’re not sure what note goes in the space right above it. The next letter after B in the alphabet is C, so the note in the space above B is also C.
- Use reverse-alphabetical order when you’re lookin at notes going down . To figure out what note goes in the space below B, for example, identify the letter that comes before B in the alphabet (in thai case, it’s A).
- The order of notes (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) repeats over and over again. The next note above any G will always be another A (and if you’re going downward, the next note below any A is always a G).
- This applies no matter which clef you’re reading.

Section 4 of 5:

What is a clef?

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Clefs are symbols that show you where notes belong on the staff. The staff has 5 parallel, horizontal lines with 4 spaces between them, and each line or space represents a specific note or pitch. The clef is like a calibrator—it assigns a specific pitch to one of the staff lines, and from there, musicians can read the rest of the notes on the staff in relation to that designated note. ^{[10]
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- Clefs are always placed at the left, or beginning, of the staff since music is read from left to right.

Section 5 of 5:

Common Clefs to Know and Love

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1
Treble clef The treble clef is the highest-pitched clef. It’s also known as the G-clef because it shows you where the G above middle C is placed (the second line of the staff). ^{[11]
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Research source} The loopy symbol actually comes from a fancy, outdated way to write the letter “G,” hence the name. The treble clef is the most commonly used and recognized clef.
- Instruments that read the treble include most woodwinds (flute and piccolo, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, English horn), high strings (violin), high brass (trumpet, French horn), some percussion instruments (like xylophone or vibraphone) and the right hand part of piano and harp music.
2
Bass clef The bass clef is the lowest-pitched clef. It’s also known as the F-clef since it shows where the F below middle C is placed. “The two dots of the bass clef go around the second line [from the top]. That’s where you write F,” explains music teacher Cuong Nguyen. “The bass clef actually is a fancy way of writing the letter F.”
- Instruments that use the bass clef include low woodwinds like bassoon, the low strings (cello and bass), low brass (tuba, euphonium, trombone), low percussion instruments like the timpani, and the left hand of piano and harp music.
3
Alto clef The alto clef sits right in the middle of the treble and bass clefs. It’s called a C-clef since it shows where middle C is. This clef shows 2 backward “C” shapes, and middle C is on the middle line of the staff where the Cs meet. ^{[12]
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- Alto clef is mainly only used by viola players these days. It’s sometimes just called the viola clef for that reason.
- C-clefs are moveable. You can move them up or down to change which line middle C belongs to. For example, the less common tenor clef is just an alto clef that’s been shifted up by one line.
- Why is middle C called “middle” C? Because it sits right in the middle of the treble and bass clefs! Middle C is one ledger line above the bass clef and one ledger line below the treble clef. ^{[13]
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- “Bass clef is a continuation downward from the treble clef,” explains Nguyen. “Most people read down to middle C at the bottom of the treble clef. From that middle C downward, you can start your bass clef reading.”

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What is the difference between a treble clef and a bass clef?

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Basically, in a bass clef, notes are two whole steps down from a treble clef.

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How do I make a song out of treble clef staff notes?

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Write notes on the lines and spaces that follow the time signature. Practice on some kind of instrument to find the melody you want.

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Why is the treble clef at the beginning?

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The treble clef indicates how the piece of music should be read, so it must be introduced at the beginning of the piece.

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You don’t have to include the small swoop or tail at the bottom of the clef if you don’t want to. The only elements that must be there are the spiral around the G line and the top loop around the high G space.

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In printed music, the treble clef is slightly slanted instead of being perfectly straight up and down. Feel free to draw it either way!

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Practice drawing your treble clef in pencil—especially if you’re drawing on a music theory test or assignment!

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When you are composing, it really doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as it is recognizable as a treble clef.
When making a treble clef, make the semi-circle at the top smaller than the one at the bottom.

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How to Draw a Treble Clef for Beginners

How do you draw a treble clef?

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Drawing a Treble Clef: Beginner Method

Drawing a Treble Clef: Advanced Method

Reading Treble Clef

What is a clef?

Common Clefs to Know and Love

Community Q&A

Video

Tips

Tips from our Readers

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