The F clef is a musical symbol that tells you where the note F is on the staff.

When placed at the beginning of a piece:

The symbol’s two dots surround the fourth line from the bottom of the staff.

That line is F below middle C.

Once F is set, every other note’s position is determined in relation to it.

In everyday music reading, the F clef most often appears as the bass clef — used for lower-pitched instruments and voices like cello, bassoon, trombone, bass guitar, tuba, double bass, and the left hand in piano music.

Think of it as the low-note map, while the G clef (treble clef) is the high-note map.