Note reading game
Clef Quest: learn to read notes on the staff
A note appears on the staff and you name it. Ten notes a round, a few minutes a day, until reading treble and bass clef feels automatic.
Free to play. No account or download. Works on computers, tablets, and phones.
How it works
- Pick a path: treble or bass. Each one starts with just the lines, then just the spaces, then the whole staff, ledger lines, and sharps and flats.
- Before each new level, a short lesson shows the notes you're about to see, with memory words to help them stick.
- A note appears on the staff. Tap its letter name, A to G, or type the letter on your keyboard. Each round is ten notes, and you hear every note as you answer, so your ear learns along with your eyes.
- Score 10 out of 10 to open the next level. A perfect score sounds strict, but note reading only helps once it is automatic, and a near miss means a note still needs work.
- Every few levels, a Place it level flips it around: you see a note name, like "Place a C below the staff", and write it on the staff. Score 9 out of 10 to pass these.
- On sharps and flats levels, pick ♭, ♮, or ♯ first, then the letter.
- The cheatsheet is one tap away on every level until Maestro mode. Complete either path to open the alto and tenor clefs.
What you'll practice
Treble path
Start here if you read treble clef. Each level opens when you pass the one before it.
- Treble linesE G B D F, the notes on the lines
- Treble spacesF A C E, the notes in the spaces
- Treble basicsLines and spaces together, no sharps or flats
- Place it: treble staffWrite the note that is asked for, on the staff
- Treble ledger linesNotes above and below the staff
- Treble sharps and flatsNotes on the staff with ♯ and ♭
- Place it: ledger lines, sharps and flatsWrite ledger-line notes, and staff notes with ♯ and ♭
- Treble full rangeLedger lines plus sharps and flats
- Place it: treble full rangeWrite any note, ledger lines and sharps and flats included
Bass path
Start here if you read bass clef. Each level opens when you pass the one before it.
- Bass linesG B D F A, the notes on the lines
- Bass spacesA C E G, the notes in the spaces
- Bass basicsLines and spaces together, no sharps or flats
- Place it: bass staffWrite the note that is asked for, on the staff
- Bass ledger linesNotes above and below the staff
- Bass sharps and flatsNotes on the staff with ♯ and ♭
- Place it: ledger lines, sharps and flatsWrite ledger-line notes, and staff notes with ♯ and ♭
- Bass full rangeLedger lines plus sharps and flats
- Place it: bass full rangeWrite any note, ledger lines and sharps and flats included
Alto and tenor clefs
The C clefs used in viola, cello, bassoon, and trombone music. These open when you complete the treble or bass path.
- Alto basicsThe clef for viola parts
- Alto full rangeLedger lines plus sharps and flats
- Place it: alto full rangeWrite any note in the alto clef
- Tenor basicsUsed for cello, bassoon, and trombone
- Tenor full rangeLedger lines plus sharps and flats
- Place it: tenor full rangeWrite any note in the tenor clef
Maestro mode Premium
Clefs switch from note to note and ledger lines run far from the staff. For true mastery.
- Clef switchTreble and bass trade places every note
- Clef switch, sharps and flatsSwitching clefs with accidentals in play
- Place it: clef switch, sharps and flatsWrite notes as treble and bass trade places
- Ledger line gauntletUp to three ledger lines, treble and bass
- All four clefsTreble, bass, alto, and tenor with far ledger lines
- Place it: all four clefsWrite notes in any clef, up to three ledger lines away
Tips for reading notes faster
Learn the memory words
Treble clef lines, from the bottom up, are E G B D F: Every Good Burger Deserves Fries. The spaces spell F A C E.
Bass clef lines are G B D F A: Good Boys Do Fine Always. The spaces are A C E G: All Cows Eat Grass.
Use anchor notes
Memory words get you started, but fast readers use anchors or landmarks. Memorize the bottom, middle, and top lines in each clef and use those to quickly spell up or down. The treble clef is also called the G clef because it curls around the second line, which is G. The bass clef is the F clef: its two dots sit on either side of the fourth line, which is F. Middle C sits on one ledger line, just below the treble staff or just above the bass staff.
From an anchor or landmark note, count by step: line, space, line. A note two steps above the G line is B.
Ledger lines
Ledger lines are short lines that extend the staff. Keep counting the same way, line, space, line, as if the staff continued. Three ledger lines below the treble staff is a long count from the bottom line, so start from middle C instead.
Alto and tenor clef
Both are C clefs: the center of the clef marks middle C. In alto clef (viola) that is the middle line. In tenor clef (cello, bassoon, and trombone) it is the fourth line from the bottom.
Visualize your instrument
If you play a stringed instrument, find where open strings are on the staff. For piano you can picture where each note goes. It's a combination of memorization and visualization that help build speed.
Free and Premium
Free
Treble and bass clef, ledger lines, sharps and flats, then alto and tenor clefs. Each level opens with a perfect score.
Premium $9.99, one time
Every level open from day one, Maestro mode, solo instruments.
Questions
Is Clef Quest free?
Yes. Every core level, ledger lines, sharps and flats, and the alto and tenor clefs are free. Premium opens every level from day one and adds Maestro mode and solo instrument sounds.
Who is it for?
Anyone learning to read music: piano, band, orchestra, and choir students, adults picking an instrument back up, and teachers who want quick practice for their students.
Do I need to know anything first?
No. Both paths start with only the five lines of the staff, a short lesson comes before every new level, and the cheatsheet shows the note names whenever you need them.
Can I use my keyboard?
Yes. Type the letters A to G to answer. On sharps and flats levels, pick the sign with the buttons first. On Place it levels, the up and down arrows move your note and Enter checks it.
Do I need an account?
No. Your progress is saved in your browser. You can save a progress file to move it to another device, and Premium syncs it automatically.
Keep going
Once the notes feel easy, name keys with Key Sprint, or start spelling intervals on the staff with Interval Leap. For the music stand or the classroom wall, or even to keep as an extra cheatsheet reference on a different tab, print the free note names poster.