Download Article Download Article

Many people read music, but it's very difficult to record it if you don't know how to draw a treble clef (also known as the G-clef). This symbol is needed for most musical voices (soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, and tenor), most woodwind instruments, stringed instruments (violin, guitar) and high brass instruments such as the trumpet. It also typically corresponds to the notes played with the right hand on the piano. This article will show you how to draw it correctly.

  1. Music paper has five lines and four spaces in between. If you don't have any music paper, just draw five evenly spaced horizontal lines with a ruler. Make sure to draw the lines neat if you don't have music paper,so it comes out right
  2. Watermark wikiHow to Draw a Treble Clef
    Make sure it's intersecting all of the lines from the music paper. It should be a little longer, so that it hangs off both ends.
    Advertisement
  3. Watermark wikiHow to Draw a Treble Clef
    Draw a semi-circle at the top of the vertical line that ends at the second horizontal line down. Now it should look like a long and skinny "P".
  4. Watermark wikiHow to Draw a Treble Clef
    This new line should curve around the other side of the vertical line and intersect it again at the last horizontal line.
  5. Watermark wikiHow to Draw a Treble Clef
    You're essentially making a semi-circle that's slightly smaller than the previous one. Make it so that the top goes a little over the third horizontal line.
  6. Watermark wikiHow to Draw a Treble Clef
    The spiral should end on the second (from the bottom) horizontal line, which indicates the note "G".
  7. Watermark wikiHow to Draw a Treble Clef
    Go to the end of the first line you drew, and draw a little line going off of it as shown.
  8. Advertisement

Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    What is the difference between a treble clef and a bass clef?
    Community Answer
    Basically, in a bass clef, notes are two whole steps down from a treble clef.
  • Question
    How do I make a song out of treble clef staff notes?
    Community Answer
    Write notes on the lines and spaces that follow the time signature. Practice on some kind of instrument to find the melody you want.
  • Question
    Why is the treble clef at the beginning?
    Community Answer
    The treble clef indicates how the piece of music should be read, so it must be introduced at the beginning of the piece.
See more answers
Ask a Question
      Advertisement

      Video

      Tips

      • Also, it may be noticed that treble clefs written in music are a bit more elegant. these can be written in one smooth motion starting on line G. First, do the swirl, then rise up to draw the top part of the clef. Then do a loop down, which strikes through the swirl you made earlier and finish by doing the .
      • To draw the treble clef in one smooth, continuous motion, start with the tail, going from left to right. Then draw the vertical line going up and complete the semi-circle and spiral going down, as instructed. You should never need to lift your pen or pencil off of the paper.
      • Usually, the tail curves up smoothly, rather than arching up.
      Show More Tips

      Tips from our Readers

      The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.
      • 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.
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • Please take the form of the treble clef as a suggestion, as you should draw it according to customs in music publishing.
      • You may omit the tail if you want. The only notable characteristics that are absolutely necessary to indicate it is a G clef are the top loop going around the G space, and the bottom, big loop circling around and coming to a stop on the G line. Sometimes, the line on the big loop does not even stop on the G line. This is fine, as long as it does not look like the big loop is going around any other line (the top just hits the B line and the bottom hits the E line).
      • You may find that the treble clef is often written more slanted than what is shown in the drawing, as the drawing is completely upright; so perhaps you may like to angle the top of the original "vertical line" a little toward the right.
      • When drawing the treble clef, make sure it is written in pencil! Not doing so when writing a music test results in lower grades.
      • Just to clarify, the symbol is called a G clef. It becomes a treble clef when it is placed on the 2nd line, making that line G. All clefs can have several possible locations on the staff lines.
      Advertisement

      About This Article

      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 333,861 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Rob Howell

        May 19, 2017

        "A friend asked me to make a sterling silver bracelet with one of these. The "drawing help" will help me ..." more
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement