**Clefs** are symbols place at the beginning of the staff that assign specific pitches to the lines and spaces of the staff. In Western music, we identify pitches using the letters A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. These letters correspond to the white keys on the [[Piano Keyboard]]. The two most commonly used clefs are the **treble clef** and the **bass clef**. ## Treble Clef As shown in **Example 1**, the treble clef (also known as the G clef) points to G4 and assigns it to the second line of the staff. **Example 1.** A treble clef staff with notes corresponding to the white keys on the piano. ![[clefs example 1.png]] The treble clef originated as a stylized G. Notice that the bottom part of the clef circles around the second line, identifying it as G4. As shown in **Example 2** below, this detail is important to capture when writing treble clefs by hand in order to avoid assigning G4 to other lines. **Example 2.** Handwritten treble clefs drawn correctly and incorrectly. ![[clefs example 2.png]]