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I found this handy graphic on the largely defunct* viola.com website showing where the Viola/Alto Clef fits in relation to the other (Treble and Bass) clefs.
You can see why viola music that uses notes written well above the staff on the Viola/Alto clef is frequently written in Treble Clef. The notes shown here are the tunings for the four strings on a viola: C, G, D and A.
To my knowledge, however, notes for viola below the staff aren't written in Bass Clef, as you obviously can't play anything below the open C string.
*I labeled the site largely-defunct, due to lack of updates in the last several months, as well as a majority of external links I tried on the site being broken/out-of-date. I hope things improve for the site, as they used to have a great deal of information and links to viola resources. Credit where credit is due, however.
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We'll take over that information. LOL Thanks for the link HC. 
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So, if I'm understanding this right (and I don't think I am), is the alto clef actually located between the treble and bass? I've never actually seen viola sheet music, so I have no basis for comparison.
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well I am related with this topic since I play in an orchestra so I think that it should be easier to understand if we have a viola, a violin and a cello sheet music, showing their diferences, and for very experienced musicians like Pierre it represents no problem
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I drew it out for you. These two C's are the same note. The violin can go down 4 more notes to a G and the Viola can continue down one more octave. So the Viola is a 5th lower.
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Violaman said
I drew it out for you. These two C's are the same note. The violin can go down 4 more notes to a G and the Viola can continue down one more octave. So the Viola is a 5th lower.
excelent!!!, thank you very much!!! that is what I was talking about, taking this as a reference we can arrange our violin sheet music in to viola sheet music
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Quoth MicheleRene:
So, if I'm understanding this right (and I don't think I am), is the alto clef actually located between the treble and bass? I've never actually seen viola sheet music, so I have no basis for comparison.
I hope that resurrecting this thread isn't too much of a faux pas ...
Here's how I understand it, and someone will be along presently to correct me if I'm wrong or just phrasing it poorly.
The attached drawing is an attempt to illustrate how I think of the relationship between the clefs, using the position of middle C in each one.
Middle C occupies the first line above the staff of the bass clef, and the first line below the staff of the treble clef.
The same note is represented on the center line of the alto clef.
It follows that the E and G on the top two lines of the alto clef are the same notes as the E and G on the bottom two lines of the treble clef.
In the same vein, the F and A on the bottom two lines of the alto clef are the same notes as the F and A on the top two lines of the bass clef.
Thus one could say, in a sense, that the alto clef is between the bass and treble clefs. I prefer to think of the alto clef as overlapping the bass and treble clefs equally.
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It stands to reason that folks will find (hopefully useful) information in the older threads here on Violaman.com. As long as the thread isn't locked, and the new posts further the discussion, there's no problem resurrecting older topics.
Thanks for sharing your graphic of the clefs!
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