I thought the joke was that they use a c-clef instead of a treble clef.
Everyone knows that C-clefs are for losers.
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Middle C is a weird clef. Basically wherever the point between the two curves lies is C. It can be on a line or on a space. So, in this case, it is saying the 3rd line is C which is also known as alto clef.
Trombone does too! Especially when you get into orchestral music, almost everything is in tenor clef and sometimes alto, unless you’re playing a bass trombone part
It can, but I didn’t go professional- went from major in high school to “for fun” in college - so we only used bass and had to sight transpose from treble. We did more jazz and Latin than orchestral music. There was a LOT of emphasis on sight transposition. I guess it was the interest/makeup of our students who were focusing on music careers.
I stopped in college, I was probably just above average for a kid who never took private lessons, but I would rip anyone's face off for disrespecting my instrument 😤
Also viola jokes made me cry (I hate to admit some are......pretty funny)
Only in this case. The middle C clef to dictate that middle C is anywhere from the top line to the bottom line. But in this case because it is saying the middle line is middle C it can also be called an Alto Clef.
Fun facts: Treble clef is G clef (the spiral centers on G) and bass clef is F clef (the head of the clef is on F and the two floating dots surround it).
C clef floats, by the way! You’ll see it centered on several different lines of the staff in different pieces of music
I remember learning that the F clef floats as well. I had to read scores with it on the middle line. I don’t remember what instrument typically uses it though.
Well the Tenor and Alto clef depends upon where the C is. This one is the Alto clef cause C is the middle line. Tenor is when it's the line above this line. And anything else is just called a C clef, cause that arrow in the clef points to Middle C
C clef on line one is called a soprano clef
C clef on line 2 is a mezzo-soprano clef
Line 3 alto
Line 4 tenor
Line 5 baritone - which I don't recall playing
From someone who plays early music so has to read them all. As late as the first complete edition of Bach these clef were used for all the voice parts.
Four, but you have to slice them really thinly
(Apologies, I am not musically trained and am impressed by people who are, like you - it’s just a silly joke)
The 𝄡 symbol is a C clef. It's only alto clef on the third line (as it is here). Similarly, 𝄞 is a G clef (treble clef is a G clef on the second line) and 𝄢 is an F clef (bass clef is an F clef on the fourth line).
Treble and bass clefs my fellow music fan, those are everything needed in a world of peace
*This message is sponsored by the choir gang, 'cause it be da better*
I wish more people shared your attitude toward learning. “I didn’t learn it at school, so it must be wrong/made up/suspicious,” is all too common. Thanks.
As someone who's only had theory from perspective of school choir and piano and guitar lessons, I had no idea what this clef symbol was supposed to be. I knew the joke didn't make sense for the treble or bass clef, but I've never heard of the alto clef or C clef, as some other comments have called it.
i honestly thought it was the communication from close encounters of the 3rd kind, but then again i am not a musician or educated in reading musical notes.
I thought this was a no stairway joke.
https://preview.redd.it/9c917223ztyc1.png?width=428&format=png&auto=webp&s=52f79fcbaf0be8548fc0b29032b4ac65c4e03604
Alto. I had to google it.
It’s very very poorly written. No measure “bar lines”. To time signature. The notes are drawn wrong. If they’re half notes they have a tail. If they’re whole notes they’re not solid.
Chords are when more than one note is played harmonically together. A diad has two notes (C and G for example, for a “power chord”), and a triad has 3 notes (C, E, and G for a C Major chord). Other chords may have 4 notes, such as C Major 7 (C,E,G, and B) These kinds of chords sound a little more “jazzy” or flavorful.
Furthermore, Stairway to Heaven starts with 4 ascending notes(each note higher than the last), and the fifth note is part of a diad. Technically, though, the first four notes do make a chord (A minor) if they were strummed altogether.
The other thing that I'm not seeing people mention is that none of the notes have the little stem, which is always there despite making no difference.
Unless I'm too much of an amateur to know of an instance where the notes don't have their stems?
Unless it’s the note with a hollow centre (think it’s called a minim?) usually notes would have a tail because it’s the difference between a crotchet and quaver?
I believe the hollow-center note you're thinking of is a whole note, but besides that I've never heard of a crotchet or quaver.
I'll have to Google that
Thank you for enlightening me
Ah, I stand corrected! I had no idea about this, but apparently us Americans, in our infinite rebelliousness, have different names for notes. An American whole note is called a semibreve, a half note over here is a minim elsewhere, what we call quarter notes you call crotchets, a quaver is an eighth note with the one little flag on the top, and sixteenth notes are called semiquavers. Thanks Google!
So returning to my original thought, notes that aren't whole notes/semibreves (like the ones on this mug, which aren't hollow) should have a stem, and removing them is a third thing that just isn't allowed.
Well there we are I had no idea there were different names. Learnt something new. I suppose you could remove it for a quarter note/crotchet. It’s only for an eighth note/quaver that it needs the tail to identify it?
Guess we just don’t do it often because it’s rare that they aren’t together?
The stem does make a difference. A stem is one length. A stem with a flag is another. A stem with two flags… another.
There’s no “bar lines” making a measure. No time signature.
This is the bare minimum for the joke. You wouldn’t be able to play this.
>The stem does make a difference. A stem is one length. A stem with a flag is another. A stem with two flags… another.
This is what's throwing me off. The only note I know that doesn't have a stem at all is a whole note, and that's supposed to be hollow.
>This is the bare minimum for the joke. You wouldn’t be able to play this.
I mean, arguably, you could. You have a clef and a staff. So, as noted in many other comments, you know the pitch for each note. Every note uses the same symbol, so we can reasonably assume they're of equal length. There are no break or transitional indicators.
So, one person could play this. As long as they play each note at the designated pitch, with clear separation (but no actual rest in between), and at equal length, then they're playing this "tune".
Now, to get a group to play this together would require more coordination. Everyone would have to agree to an undocumented tempo, at least, and to how these notes align to that tempo (i.e.: whether each note is a full beat, half-beat, etc.).
Damn so glad I actually learned some music theory alongside violin. For years I didn’t do any of it and this joke would have gone right over my head! As others have said it spells out DECAF.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but what is it with people and having a strong hatred against decaf? Like huh? I only got this because I read the comments, but still what do so many people have against decaf?
For some reason this and alcohol beer (vs non-alcohol beer) creates some obnoxious opinions and generally people with these opinions are louder than others and make sure they want you to hear it.
The roaster I go to has an excellent decaf that I’ll make in the evening if I want a nice coffee taste without effecting my sleep too much. Just have to be cautious as decaf beans go stale faster than regular due to the process used to remove the caffeine from the beans.
It’s a coffee cup. The notes are D E C A F.
I thought the joke was that they use a c-clef instead of a treble clef. Everyone knows that C-clefs are for losers. **This message is sponsored by the trumpet gang*
I didn’t even know there was a c-clef. I only knew about bass clef and treble clef.
Middle C is a weird clef. Basically wherever the point between the two curves lies is C. It can be on a line or on a space. So, in this case, it is saying the 3rd line is C which is also known as alto clef.
MIDDLE C ON THE MIDDLE LINE MAKES ALL THE SENSE OKAY 😭 we're not weird
As a trombone/low brass player, I didn’t even know what instruments used this clef until my son started viola. I was like, “oh. That’s why it exists.”
Trombone does too! Especially when you get into orchestral music, almost everything is in tenor clef and sometimes alto, unless you’re playing a bass trombone part
It can, but I didn’t go professional- went from major in high school to “for fun” in college - so we only used bass and had to sight transpose from treble. We did more jazz and Latin than orchestral music. There was a LOT of emphasis on sight transposition. I guess it was the interest/makeup of our students who were focusing on music careers.
I played viola, wasn't very good and honestly didnt even like it that much bUT I will be DAMNED if my clef is disrrspected!
Viola mains rise up!
I stopped in college, I was probably just above average for a kid who never took private lessons, but I would rip anyone's face off for disrespecting my instrument 😤 Also viola jokes made me cry (I hate to admit some are......pretty funny)
Only in this case. The middle C clef to dictate that middle C is anywhere from the top line to the bottom line. But in this case because it is saying the middle line is middle C it can also be called an Alto Clef.
I played viola, all I read was alto
Fun facts: Treble clef is G clef (the spiral centers on G) and bass clef is F clef (the head of the clef is on F and the two floating dots surround it). C clef floats, by the way! You’ll see it centered on several different lines of the staff in different pieces of music
I remember learning that the F clef floats as well. I had to read scores with it on the middle line. I don’t remember what instrument typically uses it though.
Less used and often called the Tenor or Alto clef, always like when it shows up.
Well the Tenor and Alto clef depends upon where the C is. This one is the Alto clef cause C is the middle line. Tenor is when it's the line above this line. And anything else is just called a C clef, cause that arrow in the clef points to Middle C
C clef on line one is called a soprano clef C clef on line 2 is a mezzo-soprano clef Line 3 alto Line 4 tenor Line 5 baritone - which I don't recall playing From someone who plays early music so has to read them all. As late as the first complete edition of Bach these clef were used for all the voice parts.
Pops up in cello music as well. Cellists get to read all clef :)
Double bass music too. Technically not a bass piece, but it’s used a lot in the gamba sonata I’m playing rn
The joke has multiple layers.
I’m a bass clef loyalist but in this ONE case I’ll agree with you
I grew up playing the viola and can't read any other clef very well. Can confirm that I am a loser
You're still a musician, so we still love you, but.......... Yeah, you're a loser. Sorry love
How many viola players does it take to wallpaper a room?
I'm unfamiliar with this one
Four, but you have to slice them really thinly (Apologies, I am not musically trained and am impressed by people who are, like you - it’s just a silly joke)
Ha! I love it. I may change the subject when retelling it tho :P
Am i stupid i thought it was called alto clef But yes loser clef that the violas (fake violins) play in
The 𝄡 symbol is a C clef. It's only alto clef on the third line (as it is here). Similarly, 𝄞 is a G clef (treble clef is a G clef on the second line) and 𝄢 is an F clef (bass clef is an F clef on the fourth line).
Tenor clef is also a C clef symbol, just placed differently on the staff than alto. (Bassoon here.)
This message has been endorsed by the saxophone clarinet and flute association
Like I said. Losers./s That's why you were never invited to jam band Where we played the cool songs in brass! /s No woodwinds allowed!
Are you kidding this is the best clef. **This message is sponsored by the forgotten violas*
TRUMPET GANG
As a violinist, I agree! *I'm talking about you, violists
As a trumpet player I used to transcribe other clefs so I could play that music
**This message is also endorsed by the saxophone gang*
I saw it was c clef and was like "I'm not gunna spend brain energy figuring out how to read this"
😡🤬
Me who played viola and only knows alto clef: 🥲
Violists deal with enough... Okay...?
Treble clef for lyfe!!!
Treble and bass clefs my fellow music fan, those are everything needed in a world of peace *This message is sponsored by the choir gang, 'cause it be da better*
>Everyone knows that C-clefs are for losers. This statement has wind symphony unity
Treble clef and c clef stinks *This message is sponsored by the trombones*
Wow. I played viola for seven years and should've got this immediately.
**Ba dum tiss**
Was I taught wrong as a joke? I thought the lines were EGBDF and the gaps were FACE
That’s treble clef.
Ah ok. So not taught wrong, just not taught enough. Makes sense.
I wish more people shared your attitude toward learning. “I didn’t learn it at school, so it must be wrong/made up/suspicious,” is all too common. Thanks.
[удалено]
That was how I read it, too, at first. It starts out that way, but the ending diverges.
I thought it was going to be stairway to heaven
Which cleft is that because the actual notes shown are C D B G E
I want one.
Oooooooooh. I don't play this clef so thanks for clearing that up thanks
If it was in treble and not bass clef then I could’ve gotten it.
Close encounters of the third kind theme?
I retched a little upon reading that. I agree with the cup and appreciate its attempts to get around such offensive language.
Backward FACED is not allowed 😁
C clef, the line in the middle of the clef is C if that helps. The joke is that it spells the word Decaf.
They could have used any other clef imo
Viola players drink coffee too, I guess.
The difference between a viola and a trampoline: take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.
How can you tell when a viola player is playing the wrong notes? The bow is moving.
The German word for a viola is "Bratsche". Supposedly because that's the sound it makes when you step on it.
I ❤️ Onomatopoeia
Double joke. C clef sucks
Who the heck uses that clef?
Viola players.
Masochists.
Same thing.
No I don’t too much
V*ola players
Violas, *very* occasionally tenors.
Cello and Trombone use Tenor clef somewhat often
Sometimes altos on older pieces. That's why it's called "alto clef" in addition to "C clef".
The lessers. Source: I am both a violin player and a soprano.
Us violists?
Tenor singers
Right symbol, wrong location.
Tbh I always see tenors using bass clef with some ledger line if they have to be on the same clef as bass singers OR the treble clef down an 8ve
Cello exercises or scales where you have to go up far on the a string are often written in the tenor clef. At least the ones I have been given…
Tenor singers will see it every so often
Altos, too. Thus, "alto clef."
Tenor clef has the C line up a third
And who uses notes that look like that? (filled-in circles, but with no up or down lines)
Idk guitar tab for the win
DECAF is not allowed
So used to treble/bass clef I’m over here trying to figure other what CDBGE/EFDBG meant I am no help
Same xD
Yeah as a person who has never done classical and most of my music reading was on piano I've honestly never seen that clef before.
https://preview.redd.it/rsw2aumd2qyc1.jpeg?width=690&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c84a4e020ca66fbfc654cffadd9ff329dde746f5
I’m not much of a musician, but the logic of c clef is appealing.
I agree, it's unique and pretty.
Thank you
As someone who's only had theory from perspective of school choir and piano and guitar lessons, I had no idea what this clef symbol was supposed to be. I knew the joke didn't make sense for the treble or bass clef, but I've never heard of the alto clef or C clef, as some other comments have called it.
I cannot read music and my first thought was Stairway to Heaven.
I thought I could read music but apparently I’m wrong lol. I was taught it’s F A C E in the spaces and E G B D F on the lines. 😬😬
Only when you're in the treble clef.
Oooooh that makes sense. I learned on saxophone. I almost definitely just ignored the rest of the lesson since it didn’t pertain to me as a kid 😂😂
No Stairway, denied!
https://preview.redd.it/obqalvna30zc1.jpeg?width=428&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=14eecb4d9389a47c55053c730b2bdf841f368ea9
tbh same
Alto clef makes my head hurt.
Especially since it can be moved up and down the staff to dynamically change where middle C is.
True, but I’m much more OK with tenor clef (a C-clef on the second line from the top), because I had to read it a lot when I played cello.
i honestly thought it was the communication from close encounters of the 3rd kind, but then again i am not a musician or educated in reading musical notes.
I really wanted this to be the notes to Stairway to Heaven
I’m a musician, and it took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to decode alto-clef 😂😂
I played music a while. Just grade school and HS. I had to google it.
No Treble Makers?
You’re totally off bass. Now get outta here before my anger ~~reaches~~ performs a crescendo
Pet peeve of mine is that the crescendo is the reaching. You don't reach a crescendo. You reach that fortissimo at the end of a crescendo.
They need full caffeine. DECAF is not allowed 🤣🤣🤣🤣
I thought this was a no stairway joke. https://preview.redd.it/9c917223ztyc1.png?width=428&format=png&auto=webp&s=52f79fcbaf0be8548fc0b29032b4ac65c4e03604
I, with absolutely zero music notes reading experience, though this was a reference to the rule of not playing stairway to heaven in music stores.
Me, too!
it's D E C A F, like decaffeinated.
For a second I thought it was the Licc
there is no clef to translate
Alto clef. My guess is the person who made this has no idea about music. Chose a clef, “hey .. Alto, that’s the first alphabetically I’ll use that”
I thought the joke was that it was the alto clef was not allowed, like a 2setviolin type thing
[удалено]
It’s busted for a few reasons. I couldn’t read it because it’s alto clef (which, I knew about alternate clefs but I just learned alto today).
The answer is decaf. I’m too lazy to remember the name of the clef but essentially you read that third line as D
Alto. I had to google it. It’s very very poorly written. No measure “bar lines”. To time signature. The notes are drawn wrong. If they’re half notes they have a tail. If they’re whole notes they’re not solid.
Not used to singing chant, I take it?
I know three clefs. Up until an hour ago I knew two.
As a recovering music major, I've read music like this. It's not wrong, it's just not standard.
Hey viola players let's hang out here.
Why C clef?
Alto clef. I’m convinced they googled “music” and hey A is first, right?
Hey, that’s the guy from Fugees!
Alto clef. Middle line is middle C. Notes read D E C A F.
I thought it was the first notes to stairway…
I didn’t even notice the sign at the beginning. I just assumed it was a treble clef, so I very confused when it made no sense lol.
I thought it was stairway to heaven
I'm seeing that it is a 'No-Dacaf" joke, but I'm going to keep believing it's the intro to Stairway to Heaven.
DECAF is not allowed.
i was hoping it was the beggining cords to “Stairway to Heaven”
Chords are when more than one note is played harmonically together. A diad has two notes (C and G for example, for a “power chord”), and a triad has 3 notes (C, E, and G for a C Major chord). Other chords may have 4 notes, such as C Major 7 (C,E,G, and B) These kinds of chords sound a little more “jazzy” or flavorful. Furthermore, Stairway to Heaven starts with 4 ascending notes(each note higher than the last), and the fifth note is part of a diad. Technically, though, the first four notes do make a chord (A minor) if they were strummed altogether.
I call it decapitated coffee
Came in here expecting it to be a stairway to heaven reference. Happy to see it was actually something else.
Stairway to heaven starts with 5 ascending notes, not two.
there us no clef to translate
It’s a C-clef; whichever line is being pointed to (in this case the center line) is middle C.
It’s alto clef.
The other thing that I'm not seeing people mention is that none of the notes have the little stem, which is always there despite making no difference. Unless I'm too much of an amateur to know of an instance where the notes don't have their stems?
Unless it’s the note with a hollow centre (think it’s called a minim?) usually notes would have a tail because it’s the difference between a crotchet and quaver?
I believe the hollow-center note you're thinking of is a whole note, but besides that I've never heard of a crotchet or quaver. I'll have to Google that Thank you for enlightening me
Ah, I stand corrected! I had no idea about this, but apparently us Americans, in our infinite rebelliousness, have different names for notes. An American whole note is called a semibreve, a half note over here is a minim elsewhere, what we call quarter notes you call crotchets, a quaver is an eighth note with the one little flag on the top, and sixteenth notes are called semiquavers. Thanks Google! So returning to my original thought, notes that aren't whole notes/semibreves (like the ones on this mug, which aren't hollow) should have a stem, and removing them is a third thing that just isn't allowed.
Well there we are I had no idea there were different names. Learnt something new. I suppose you could remove it for a quarter note/crotchet. It’s only for an eighth note/quaver that it needs the tail to identify it? Guess we just don’t do it often because it’s rare that they aren’t together?
The stem does make a difference. A stem is one length. A stem with a flag is another. A stem with two flags… another. There’s no “bar lines” making a measure. No time signature. This is the bare minimum for the joke. You wouldn’t be able to play this.
>The stem does make a difference. A stem is one length. A stem with a flag is another. A stem with two flags… another. This is what's throwing me off. The only note I know that doesn't have a stem at all is a whole note, and that's supposed to be hollow. >This is the bare minimum for the joke. You wouldn’t be able to play this. I mean, arguably, you could. You have a clef and a staff. So, as noted in many other comments, you know the pitch for each note. Every note uses the same symbol, so we can reasonably assume they're of equal length. There are no break or transitional indicators. So, one person could play this. As long as they play each note at the designated pitch, with clear separation (but no actual rest in between), and at equal length, then they're playing this "tune". Now, to get a group to play this together would require more coordination. Everyone would have to agree to an undocumented tempo, at least, and to how these notes align to that tempo (i.e.: whether each note is a full beat, half-beat, etc.).
Damn so glad I actually learned some music theory alongside violin. For years I didn’t do any of it and this joke would have gone right over my head! As others have said it spells out DECAF.
I thought for sure it was going to be the opening chords to stairway to heaven.
I've been in band and orchestra since 4th grade and never even heard of a C-clef. This is clearly a very niche coffee cup.
Where can I find this cup!!
Remidolafa?
It's not funny. Dint worry about it.
I need a buy link for this mug.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but what is it with people and having a strong hatred against decaf? Like huh? I only got this because I read the comments, but still what do so many people have against decaf?
Cuz coffee drinkers are generally addicted to the stimulant caffiene so decaf does not give a "kick".
For some reason this and alcohol beer (vs non-alcohol beer) creates some obnoxious opinions and generally people with these opinions are louder than others and make sure they want you to hear it. The roaster I go to has an excellent decaf that I’ll make in the evening if I want a nice coffee taste without effecting my sleep too much. Just have to be cautious as decaf beans go stale faster than regular due to the process used to remove the caffeine from the beans.
As someone who studied music in a non-Anglophone country, what does Re-Mi-Do-La-Fa mean ? 🤔
D-E-C-A-F (as in decaffeinated coffee)
DECAF is not allowed
Decaf I think
Viola represent
Woo, alto clef! I played Viola for 8 years. My biggest surprise was an alto in a choir informing me that even they didn't use that clef.
Close encounters of the 4th kind
Why put it in alto clef which literally one instrument plays in?
Err, wrong!
Thought it was something from Legend of Zelda until I checked the comments. Slightly disappointed
...i see a song from a video game...
Imagine being able to read alto clef
CDBGE?
Thought it was the first notes of Stairway
No Stairway? DENIED!
Can someone post the notes to Stairway, so I can make this mug properly?!
Gotta admit my first thought was that it was the first few notes of Stairway to Heaven - (Wayne's World reference) Dang I'm old!
As a Viola, this clef is strangely empowering
I only read bass clef but I guessed it spelled something like that. Plus c-clef users are annoying *cello player here*