The bass, tenor, or treble clef with C2-C6 is associated with which instrument's range?

• A. Bass Trombone Range
• B. Cello Range and Tuning
• C. Violin Range and Tuning
• D. Double Bass Range and Tuning

Answer: (B)

The range C2 to C6 is characteristic of the cello, which sits between the lower and upper registers and is notated across multiple clefs to keep pitches comfortable on the staff. Cellos are tuned C2–G2–D3–A3, so C2 is the open lowest string and C6 represents the high pass that players can reach in upper positions. To accommodate this span, players use bass clef for the low notes, tenor clef for the middle range, and treble clef for the high notes. This combination—low notes written in bass to tenor, high notes in treble—fits the cello’s typical written range, making C2–C6 a standard description of its notation and tuning.

The violin cannot reach C2, which lies below its written range. The double bass often covers down to lower pitches and is primarily notated in bass clef, with a typical upper limit not extending to C6 in common repertoire. The bass trombone generally stays within a range that does not routinely include C6, and it is not common to switch between three clefs for its standard notation.