Growing up with the piano, it was total shock when I first learned how so many instruments can only play a limited range of the musical scale. Having 88 keys, I took it for granted. But, I never thought about how long an oboe, for example, would have to be…wouldn’t that be a kicker?
Anyway, are keyboards the only instruments with sheet music with the treble AND bass cleff? If not, what other instruments off this versatility? (Versatility? Just try playing piano in a marching band, right? :D)
Just thinking too much, I guess, huh? Well, that’s how we learn -even if the questions are outside the box, er, um…Message Boards, that is to say! - Jinx
Yes, Dragonblink…very good point! The harp is a close relative to the piano, so I should have considered this…any others come to mind? Well, I guess I could toss in the armonica, IIRC? It is a spinning glass cylinder tapered to produce different tones when lightly rubbed…similar to how one can do this by rubbing the rim of wide-mouthed, champagne glasses (as opposed to champagne flutes, which may not work as well). IIRC, it was invented by Benjamin Franklin… - Jinx
There are several orchestral instruments that are versatile enough to include multiple clefs in their “range”.
Offhand, I can name these:
Bassoon: Bass clef and tenor clef
Horn: Bass and treble clef (though there are different styles of notation for this instrument)
Cello: Bass, tenor (I think) and treble clef
Viola: Alto and treble clef
Trombone: Bass and tenor clef
The cool thing is that much of it depends on the composer/arranger. One may choose to write the part with the clef remaining constant (and thus just using many ledger lines when the part goes way above/below the staff) while others may choose to switch clefs.
This is all assuming you’re just talking about ranges - if you’re looking for more instruments that play in multiple clefs simultaneously, disregard everything I just wrote.
Classical guitar is usually written only in treble clef, just using ledger lines for the low notes (I think. I only took one semester of classical guitar, so I could be thoroughly wrong on this?) but I did see at least one classical guitar pieces written with both clefs. Confused the bloody hell out of me, though.
A 24-fret guitar can play the equivalent of 48 keys on the piano without having to use tricks like touch harmonics. The lower end would probably be easier to follow on a bass clef, but it’s always written with a treble and a lot of little lines below the bottom line.
Seems to me that keyboard-style instruments (anything from harpsichord to vibraphone), and of course harp, are the only instruments to simultaneously read two staves (and therefore clefs) at once.
As an added bonus, organ players sometimes get to read three at once.
Many, many other instruments, while reading only one staff at a time, must learn several different clefs, as pointed out previously.
By the way, Barrytown, the choice of when to switch clefs is not a stylistic choice depending on the composer. One switches clefs when there would be too many ledger lines, for an extended passage, to handle the notes.
Nobody mentioned that the tenor voice can be written in bass or tenor clef.
Of course the euphonium is written in bass and treble clef.
All parts in British brass band music is written in treble clef. This can present difficulties for tuba and trombone players.
I find it interesting to notice that trumpet and saxophone parts are always written in treble clef regardless of the sounding pitch of the note. It strikes me as peculiar that a baritone saxophone cn be honking out those low notes and be only one ledger line below the treble clef.
Not to get too picky, but the choice of when to switch from one clef to another is made to facilitate the performance. Technically a composer could use only two or three places on the staff and get all sorts of different notes to come out through the creative use of clefs. That’s why we performers spend hours in the practice room working on clef studies.
Right, but what I’m saying is this: I’ve never heard of an official place where one has to switch clefs. I’ve seen extended passages written with many ledger lines, but I’ve also seen similar passages where the clef is switched. In these cases, it is up to the composer (and, of course, the choice can reflect how wise the composer is!)
The classical guitar sounds an octave below it is written. Thus the lowest E on the guitar sounds as the E, the ledger line below the bass cleff. To play in concert pitch, one would have to play everything at the 12th fret. It very rarely has music written in bass and treble clef at the same time but it happens, typically with avant garde pieces.
Lute and theorbo music is often transcribed into both, but they both read tablature instead.
Many instruments other than keyboards are written in both bass and treble clef. The opening bassoon solo in the Rites of Spring is written in treble clef but the instrument typically plays in the bass clef.
If you take it a step further and ask for instruments that are sometimes written in multiple clefs rather than just treble and bass clef it goes up even more. Many instruments are also written in tenor and alto clef as well as treble and bass cleff. The viola is typically written in alto clef but sometimes spans the gap and gets written into treble clef. This is typically in solos where the many ledger lines would get in the way. Tenor singing parts are usually written in treble clef and meant to be sung an octave lower but sometimes in 4 part harmony the tenor reads bass clef.
There are really too many instruments to name offhand that are written in more than one clef. The keyboards tend to be the most prominent one. Choirs, if you consider them an instrument, would also have it. A good book on orchestration would show all the orchestral instruments ranges and written ranges (for those that are transposing instruments) as well as the typical clefs that each individual instrument is capable of. I don’t have my orchestration book with me but it would be a good place to start if you wanted to learn more.
I think you’re implying by context here that the bassoon uses two staves, like keyboard instruments. (If you’re not, my apologies, but you are being unclear in your assertion).
It is just another instrument that only ever reads one staff, but is capable of reading different clefs.
Just to clarify:
Staff: The collection of five parallel lines on which notes are written
Clef: The symbol placed at the beginning of a staff to indicate where the staff lies up or down the total range of possible notes.
The choice of when to switch clefs is a notational decision, not really a creative decision. I would rather have said “it is up to the engraver or publisher when to switch clefs”. If I was publishing music and I saw that the composer, or a previous edition, had used inappropriate ledger lines, I would try to fix it. It’s more of an editorial decision than a compositional one.
Not at all. No melody line (ie, instrument that can only play one line) instrument is written to play harmonic progressions. Only one staff is needed but the clef can change every other note if the composer really wanted it to.
