• 38 notes
  • Checked October 2026

Alto Clef Exercises

One note lights on the alto staff: pick its letter.

Alto Clef Exercises

Name Date

Which note is this?

1 of 12

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38
More options

Write the name of each numbered note.Answer key

  1. C
  2. F
  3. E
  4. A
  5. G
  6. B
  7. D
  8. G
  9. F
  10. C
  11. A
  12. E
  13. F
  14. A
  15. C
  16. E
  17. G
  18. C
  19. G
  20. F
  21. E
  22. A
  23. G
  24. B
  25. D
  26. F
  27. D
  28. G
  29. F
  30. B
  31. D
  32. E
  33. A
  34. B
  35. E
  36. B
  37. D
  38. A

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain curves and lines: clefs, note heads, stems and ledger lines are own work, and each note is placed by the script from its pitch name and the clef's bottom line. Licence: own work.

Each note is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a note is answered.

Next step Next: name a key from its key signature

All 38 notes on the diagram

Show the list

Lines and spaces 12

  1. C This C sits on the middle line. The two bows of the alto clef meet on this line, which is middle C.
  2. F This F sits on the bottom line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  3. E This E sits on the fourth line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  4. A This A sits on the second line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  5. G This G sits on the top line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  6. B This B sits in the second space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  7. D This D sits in the third space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  8. G This G sits in the bottom space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  9. F This F sits in the top space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  10. C This C sits on the middle line. The two bows of the alto clef meet on this line, which is middle C.
  11. A This A sits on the second line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  12. E This E sits on the fourth line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.

Lines only 10

  1. F This F sits on the bottom line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  2. A This A sits on the second line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  3. C This C sits on the middle line. The two bows of the alto clef meet on this line, which is middle C.
  4. E This E sits on the fourth line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  5. G This G sits on the top line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  6. C This C sits on the middle line. The two bows of the alto clef meet on this line, which is middle C.
  7. G This G sits on the top line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  8. F This F sits on the bottom line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  9. E This E sits on the fourth line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.
  10. A This A sits on the second line. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom.

Spaces only 8

  1. G This G sits in the bottom space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  2. B This B sits in the second space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  3. D This D sits in the third space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  4. F This F sits in the top space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  5. D This D sits in the third space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  6. G This G sits in the bottom space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  7. F This F sits in the top space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.
  8. B This B sits in the second space. The four spaces read G, B, D, F from the bottom.

Ledger lines 8

  1. D This D sits on the ledger line below the staff. A ledger line is a short line added for a note beyond the staff.
  2. E This E hangs just below the bottom line. It is one step below the F on the bottom line.
  3. A This A sits just above the top line. It is one step above the G on the top line.
  4. B This B sits on the ledger line above the staff. It is two steps above the G on the top line.
  5. E This E hangs just below the bottom line. It is one step below the F on the bottom line.
  6. B This B sits on the ledger line above the staff. It is two steps above the G on the top line.
  7. D This D sits on the ledger line below the staff. A ledger line is a short line added for a note beyond the staff.
  8. A This A sits just above the top line. It is one step above the G on the top line.

How this list was compiled: Where each note sits on the alto staff: Wikipedia, Clef (a C-clef fixes middle C; a C-clef on the third line of the staff is the alto or viola clef, used for the viola), read 2026-10-01; checked against Karl W. Gehrkens, Music Notation and Terminology (1914, public domain), sections 13 to 17, Project Gutenberg ebook 19499, read 2026-10-01 (section 17 and figure 8: the line on which the C clef is placed represents middle C) and Robert Hutchinson, Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom, sections 1.2 Notation and 1.3 Octave Registers, https://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/Notation.html and OctaveRegisters.html, read 2026-10-01 (alto and tenor clef each use a C clef that designates the placement of middle C). Every other note follows by counting the letters A to G up or down from the middle line, one for each line or space. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain curves and lines: clefs, note heads, stems and ledger lines are own work, and each note is placed by the script from its pitch name and the clef's bottom line. No font and nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

Alto clef practice for viola players: thirty-eight notes in four sets. Lines and spaces mixed, lines only, spaces only, and the ledger lines. One note lights and you pick its letter.

Read the full guide

How the alto clef works

The alto clef is a C clef: its two bows meet on the middle line, and that line is middle C. Count the letters A to G up or down from there, one for every line or space. The five lines read F, A, C, E, G from the bottom and the four spaces read G, B, D, F.

Print the sets

Two print buttons appear when a round ends, and in More options before one. The blank sheet has a number under every note and a line for each answer; the other sheet is the key.

  • These exercises drill note reading only; there is nothing to bow or play.
  • Stuck? Find middle C on the middle line and count one letter for each step.

Questions and answers

What instrument uses the alto clef?

Mainly the viola, which is why it is also called the viola clef. It is also used for the alto trombone, the viola da gamba and the mandola.

Where is middle C on the alto clef?

On the middle line of the staff, where the two bows of the clef meet. A C clef always marks middle C with its middle.

Can I use these as alto clef flashcards?

Yes. Each question is a card: a note in front, its letter behind. The printed key gives every set with its answers on one page.

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