Why does the Tenor have a G clef instead of an F clef?
Why is this?
What is the underlying reason for why this is so? What the logic behind it, I would like to know.
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Comments
It's not an ordinary G (treble) clef, it's one with "8" by it, indicating that everything is notated an octave higher than it sounds. In some genres of music - particular music for amateur/school vocalists, I would imagine - this is more common than using the F (bass) clef. I guess that makes it easier for people who were taught to read music using treble clef alone, which is actually very common. A similar thing happens with baritone horn, euphonium, and tuba.
You can of course change the default clef if you know the tenors you are writing for are accustomed to reading bass clef, as I imagine most professionals would be.
In reply to It's not an ordinary G by Marc Sabatella
See also the Artikle on the German Wikipedia
In reply to It's not an ordinary G by Marc Sabatella
Yes I know, sorry, I forgot to put the 8 on it, I know what it stands for and I can read in different keys but I find it useless.
Never in my life have I seen scores using that, tenor has always been in the f clef due to the ambitus and the SMTB choir setting.
Yes, I know that I can change it, but yet again, this is a compromise for people who can't read the f clef, which they SHOULD because it's easier for their brains and voices since that IS their ambitus...
It's harder to be an amateur than a pro, because you have to make more compromises than if one would learn the basics well.
I was taught that men read the f clef, women read the g clef. It's simple, isn't it?
I know I can subsequently change it, but I'd like it to be pro from the beggining and have the amateurs change it if they wish, otherwise, I think MuseScore would be ridiculed for that.
In reply to Yes I know, sorry, I forgot by tonyjustme
Like I said, it's kind of genre specific. Might be region specific as well, and maybe that's why you've never seen it where you live. In the US, though, it's extremely common. Much if not most published choral music in which the tenor gets its own staff (as opposed to two-staff SATB chorale-style music) is written this way. So it's not just a pro versus amateur thing. More a two staff SATB "hymn-style" versus other genres, in the US at least.
Anyhow, it certainly wouldn't hurt to have it listed both ways in the instrument list - same as has been recommended for the other instruments I mentioned.
As a tenor (well, really a baritone, but I usually sing the tenor part as we are short of basses) I have to be able to read both clefs, as some pieces are written with the tenor part in the treble and some in the bass clef. In some church anthems, the tenor part switches from one clef to the other, apparently randomly. If there's a good reason for this, I'd love to know it.
In reply to As a tenor (well, really a by Jon Foote
it is to reduce the use of leger lines.
In reply to In my experience by xavierjazz
That's if people are handwriting scores, but since we have MuseScore, it's a lot easier...
The g clef with the octave sign is a compromise and creates confusion... I have not seen ANY serious notation software that has implemented the use of that, I believe MuseScore is not for amateurs seeing the features it implements.
In reply to That's if people are by tonyjustme
Ledger lines are harder to read than notes inside the normal range. Intuitivly ;-)
In reply to Ledger lines are harder to by Jojo-Schmitz
Not that hard if their between 2 staves. and especially when you're a pro.
It makes sense for music theory expression to be exact and without so many "keep in mind this" elements... That's what I would call intuitivity.
In reply to Not that hard if their by tonyjustme
On the contrary, they are esp. hard to read if they are between staves! Do they belong to the upper or the lower staff?
I for example don't like bass to be writen in G cleff, too many ledger lines and in F clef I know all notes inside the staf are within my reach, anything outside is not.
For a pro it probably doesn't make a difference, for amteurs it does. Why lose them without real need?
Once again, intuition is a subjective thing...
In reply to On the contrary, they are by Jojo-Schmitz
For the record, no one is suggestion that the regular G clef be used for tenor. It's the octave transposed version that is used. And this actually fits the typical tenor range *extremely* well - better than any other clef, actually. In terms of avoidance of ledger lines, that is.
In reply to For the record, no one is by Marc Sabatella
Ut 3 key should not have been discontinued....