The G clef is a musical symbol that shows where the note G is located on the staff.

When you see it at the beginning of a piece of music:

• It curls around the second line from the bottom of the staff.

• That line is G above middle C.

• Once G is fixed, all other notes on the staff are determined in relation to it.

It’s called the G clef because of this reference point, but in practice, it’s most often seen as the treble clef — used for higher-pitched instruments and voices like violin, flute, trumpet, soprano voice, and the right hand in piano music.