# Bass clef

Source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/bass-clef
Also known as: F clef

**Bass clef is an F clef placing the F below middle C on the fourth line of the staff, and it is the primary clef for cello and double bass.**

The two dots of the symbol sit either side of the fourth line, marking it as F3. Line notes read G, B, D, F, A and spaces A, C, E, G. It covers cello, double bass, bassoon, trombone, tuba, and the left hand of the piano.

Double bass parts are written in bass clef but sound an octave lower than notated, which keeps the part on the staff instead of burying it in ledger lines. Cellists move up to tenor and then treble clef as the music climbs.

Canonical source: https://arcosounds.com/glossary/bass-clef