Bass clef practice
Learn the bass clef on its own terms, from G on the bottom line to middle C above the staff and the low notes below it.
Type the words in order. Put a hyphen between syllables of one word (lit-tle) and a space between words. Each syllable goes under the next note. Type _ to skip a note, for a syllable held over several notes. During playback, each syllable lights up with its note.
Click a note in the first measure you want, then one in the last measure. The dark notes are the ones that will be imported.
Send this code to a friend or student. They open My music on this site, press Open a code, and paste it. The code holds the notes, rhythm, clef, key, time signature and title.
Read the notes first, then press Play to hear how they go, or Check me to play along and have each note marked. Shortcuts: Space play, N new exercise, H hear the starting note.
How it works
Bass clef notes at a glance
The five lines of the bass staff are G B D F A from the bottom up (“Good Boys Do Fine Always”). The spaces are A C E G (“All Cows Eat Grass”). The two dots of the clef sit around F, and middle C is one ledger line above the staff.
For a full walkthrough, read How to read bass clef notes.
Don’t translate from treble
Treble readers often misread bass clef notes by two letters, because each line has a name two letters higher than in treble clef. Practicing the bass clef directly, rather than converting, is what makes it fast.
Low ledger lines
Bass lines often go below the staff. Add one or two ledger lines in Notes to practice E2 down to C2, the lowest notes of the cello and the written range of the bass guitar.
Exercises at your level
Six levels, from your first five notes to ledger lines, accidentals and sixteenths, in treble or bass clef and any key or time signature. Every exercise is new.
Checks you as you play
Play along on the screen piano, your computer keyboard, a MIDI keyboard or into the microphone. Each note turns green or red as you go.
Practice your own music
Enter the passage you are learning, hear it at any tempo, check yourself against it, and send it to a student or friend with a link.
More practice tools
Ledger Dash: note reading game
Notes race toward the gold line, and you name each one before it arrives. Treble, bass, ledger lines and the grand staff, with personal bests to beat.
Play Ledger Dash →Practice toolSight reading practice
New sight-reading exercises at six levels, in any key and time signature, with every note checked as you play.
Practice toolNote reading trainer
Name the note on the staff and get instant feedback. Notes you miss come back more often until you know them. Treble clef, bass clef or both.
Practice toolTreble clef practice
Learn the notes of the treble clef until you can read them at a glance, then put them to work in short melodies.
Practice toolPiano sight reading practice
Fresh exercises at your level every time, checked note by note as you play them on your piano, a MIDI keyboard or the keyboard on screen.
Practice toolSight singing practice
Hear your starting note, sing the melody, and let the microphone check every pitch. Short exercises at your level, in any key.
Practice toolPractice your own sheet music
Bring in the passage you are learning, hear it at any tempo, check yourself as you play, and send it to a student or friend.
Lessons
How to read sheet music: a beginner’s guide
The staff, clefs, note lengths, time and key signatures, and the other markings you will meet.
Reading notesHow to read treble clef notes
Lines, spaces, landmark notes and ledger lines for the treble staff.
Reading notesHow to read bass clef notes
The F clef, its landmark notes, and how it connects to the treble staff.
RhythmRhythm basics: note values, rests and counting
Whole to sixteenth notes, dots, time signatures, and how to count them.
TheoryKey signatures made simple
The order of sharps and flats, naming the key, and how accidentals work.
Reading notesReading intervals: steps, skips and leaps
See the distance between notes at a glance, and hear it before you play or sing.
PracticeHow to practice sight-reading
A 10-minute daily routine and the habits that make reading faster.
SingingHow to sight-sing
A step-by-step method for singers: finding home, solfège, intervals and checking yourself.
Questions
Who reads the bass clef?
Pianists’ left hands, cello, double bass, bass guitar, bassoon, trombone, euphonium, tuba, and bass and baritone singers.
Can I practice both clefs together?
Yes. In the trainer, choose Both to mix treble and bass clef notes, like reading piano music.
Is Sight Reading Practice free?
Yes. Sight Reading Practice is free to use with no account. A few clearly marked ads, kept away from the practice controls, pay for running the site.
Do I need an instrument?
No. You can sing or hum the notes, tap them on the on-screen piano, or use your computer keyboard. If you do have an instrument, play along and let Sight Reading Practice listen.
How does “Check me” work?
Press Check me, then play the exercise one note at a time. Each note turns green when you play the right pitch and red when you don’t, with the note you played written underneath. It checks pitches, not rhythm, so take it at your own speed.