Much bassoon music uses the tenor clef to make the reading of music in the higher registers easier by not requiring as many ledger lines. The tenor clef is a C clef, which defines middle C by the center of its bracket. The tenor clef places middle C on the fourth line.

The C clef can move around the staff to redefine middle C. Viola music, for instance, is written in alto clef, where the C clef is placed on the middle line. For now, as a bassoonist, you need to be concerned only with the tenor clef.

The following exercise is written in bass clef as well as tenor clef. The best way to practice reading tenor clef is to dive in and play music that requires it.