bass clef

American  

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

Music.

1. a symbol placed on the fourth line of a staff to indicate that the fourth line of the staff corresponds to the F next below middle C; F clef.

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bass clef British  

/ beɪs /

noun

1. Also called: F clef.  the clef that establishes F a fifth below middle C on the fourth line of the staff

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Etymology

Origin of bass clef

First recorded in 1900–05

Compare meaning

How does bass-clef compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• bass clef vs. treble clef

Example Sentences

It is not signed by Chopin, but the handwriting includes his distinctive bass clef.

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2024

While I’d been playing brass instruments for years, tuba parts are written in bass clef; I’d only ever read treble clef.

From New York Times • Nov. 23, 2019

A bass clef on the back of his neck.

From Washington Post • Aug. 20, 2018

By and large, present-day studio composers seem a trifle more sophisticated than the practitioners of "Micky Mouse" music in the '30s, when whole orchestras simply hurtled into the bass clef when a character tumbled downstairs.

From Time Magazine Archive

They might call a note "middle C" or "second line G" or "the F sharp in the bass clef."

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones