Free reference · Written pitch
Alto clef: notes, landmarks and free reading exercises
Alto clef places middle C, C4, on the middle line. Its lines read F3, A3, C4, E4, G4; its spaces read G3, B3, D4, F4.
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Start with C4
Alto is the usual viola clef. Notice that open D4 lies in the third space and open A4 sits just above the staff. Use these anchors alongside middle C instead of translating every note into treble clef first.
C4 is the middle staff line itself: no ledger line is needed. The pointed center of the C clef identifies that line.
Every staff line and space
Read this table from bottom to top in pitch. These are natural notes with no key signature or accidentals. Octave numbers change between B and C.
| Position from bottom | Written pitch |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | F3 |
| Space 1 | G3 |
| Line 2 | A3 |
| Space 2 | B3 |
| Line 3 | C4, clef landmark |
| Space 3 | D4 |
| Line 4 | E4 |
| Space 4 | F4 |
| Line 5 | G4 |
Three exercises with answers
Name the notes from left to right before revealing each answer. These patterns practise pitch reading only; there is no time signature or rhythm test. You can read and reveal everything without JavaScript.
1. Middle C and its neighbours
Begin one step below middle C, climb through it, then return to the landmark.
Reveal answer: Middle C and its neighbours
B3 → C4 → D4 → C4. B3 is below the middle line; D4 is above it. C4 remains the anchor in both directions.
2. Viola open strings
The first note is the open C string, C3. Read the other open-string pitches.
Reveal answer: Viola open strings
C3 → G3 → D4 → A4. C3 is the space below the first ledger line; G3 is the first staff space; D4 is the third space; A4 is just above the staff.
3. Read line-to-line skips
Begin on the bottom line and move upward through the next three lines.
Reveal answer: Read line-to-line skips
F3 → A3 → C4 → E4. Each move skips one letter because it skips a staff space. C4 is the third note in this pattern, not the bottom note.
A mistake to watch for
Alto and tenor share a C-clef symbol but put its center on different lines. Check the center every time the clef changes. In alto, the fourth line is E4; in tenor, that same line is C4.
Transfer this to your part
Choose a short viola phrase that changes to treble clef. Name the final alto-clef pitch and first treble-clef pitch separately, including their octave numbers. A clef change can rewrite the same pitch in a new place without making it jump.
For more alto-clef recall practice, open the free quiz and select Viola. The quiz’s fingerings are reference options, not a complete fingering plan.
Notation reference: Open Music Theory, Reading Clefs. Exercises and diagrams are original Arco material. No affiliation or endorsement is claimed.