The C Clef

Many people have asked me about my logo and what it means. It is essentially a C clef mirrored. You may ask what is a C clef and who uses it anyway?

Most of us are familiar with the treble clef and the bass clef. These are the two clefs used by anyone learning to play the piano and by most instruments used in school band programs. Each clef has a note name associated with it, for example, the treble clef was historically called the G clef and the bass clef was called the F clef. Those names are hardly used today. The notes associated with the names determine where to find those notes on the staff. For instance, the two dots of a bass clef are on either side of the line we call F, thus F clef. If that clef was moved to a new line that line would then become F. It is very rare today for the bass clef to be moved.

If you are looking at the image of the C clef pictured above, I bet you can guess which line we are to call C. Take a look. Got it? It's the middle line. The exact middle of the clef. In this position the C clef is known as the alto clef and is typically used by violas. If the clef is moved up one line we then call it the tenor clef. The tenor clef is used by the bassoon, cello, euphonium, double bass, and trombone. 

As we worked on a logo we played with a few different musical symbols and just loved how this one turned out. Plus, there may as well be an opportunity to learn something even just from looking at a logo!

Glenn

p.s. more info on clefs can be found here!