Now that we have a working understanding of diatonic harmony, we can begin to analyze scores that use instruments other than the voice or piano, but for that you need to understand how to read music composed for transposing instruments.
For various practical and historical reasonsImplementation toolsproduce a different audible sound than that written on the page. For example, if a Bb clarinet sees a "C" written, that note will sound like a "Bb".
Musicians use the following terms when discussing transposing instruments.
- ringing tone- The pitch produced by an instrument.
- written pitch- The tone as it is in the song.
- concert field- The tuning where the note name matches the default frequencies for that tuning. (i.e. C=C, A=A, etc.)
Transposing instruments are not difficult to understand conceptually - these instruments sound in a different key than what is written - but in practice it often confuses students because transposing instruments is the process of doing socompensatefor the tonal tuning of an instrument. When we write in Bb for an instrument, it sounds for a whole steplower, so we need to write the part as an integer stephigherto get the interpreter sounding the right pitch. On the other hand, if we read a transposed voice in B flat, we must read it a tone lower because it is written a tone above the tone.
It's easy to transpose the wrong way when constantly switching between concertante tuning and transpositions, so it's important to thoroughly understand transposition for each instrument. Fortunately, they can be broken down into relatively few categories.
First, it's helpful to discuss the default instrument ranges while looking at transpositions. If you remember that a tenor sax has a similar range to a tenor voice, it will make it a lot easier to remember the direction and distance required for your transposition.
The instrument and vocal ranges are self-explanatory, but there are a variety of limitations that hit the extremes of almost every instrument. Brass players and singers, for example, have oneLargoVariation in how high or low a person can walk comfortably, depending on the performer's experience. Some instruments can be physically altered, like bassoon, upright bass, and piano, to add more range. Because of this variation, as well as the ever-evolving standards of instrument making and performance standards, you should always research an instrument before deciding to compose for it. While the internet is full of great resources - like the link below - the best research for understanding an instrument is to discuss it with experienced musicians. Even with good references like the one below, it doesn't show the nuances of every instrument. (For example, this sheet does not show common range extension tools and techniques, such as extending low C for double bass, using piccolo trumpet, or altissimo for woodwinds.)
For our writing, we'll use the basic areas from this helpful resource created by Dr. BJ Brooks.
Intervals and transpositions of orchestral instruments
NOTE: There is a small bug in the bass part; the top note (D) lacks a tenor clef.
The areas on this sheet are thewritten intervalsfor each of the instruments. If you want to find the range of sounds, you need to apply the transpositions that follow each staff. Read more about it below.
You may print this page for easy reference.
Although not directly related to transpositions, some instruments often read alternate clefs to reduce the number of ratio lines required. These include:
- Viola (default is high key, can be changed to treble if needed)
- Cello (bass clef by default, often switches to tenor (or even treble!) when needed)
- Bassoon (bass clef by default, often switches to tenor when needed)
- French horn (treble clef by default, but occasionally switches to a different clef if the part is low enough in your pedal register)
- Trombone (bass clef by default, often switches to tenor as needed)
conceptual confusion
Before proceeding, make sure you can distinguishsound endTom,showpitch andwrittentom.
One of the most confusing elements in understanding transposing instruments is the use of key names to describe instruments. When an instrument is “in B flat” as described above, this implies that the instrument is transposing. Unfortunately, this leads to confusing statements such as: "If a B-flat instrument plays B-flat major, it is actually playing in an A-major concerto". This ambiguity seeks to be clarified by distinguishing between the transposition of the instrument and the key in which the piece is composed: 'When an instrument [reading] plays in Bb [in the key of] Bb [major], it is actually playing [the key of] A flat [major].” The language we use in this case is clumsy at best, inappropriate at worst. It is up to the musician to be careful to communicate clearly when transposing instruments.
Non-transposed instruments (in C)
Instruments without transposition are the easiest to understand because they are read and sounded in the written key. This group includes:
- Voice
- Piano
- violin
- Viola
- Cello
- flute
- Oboe
- bassoon
- Trombone (alto, tenor and bass)
- See the section below on the history of wind instruments for more details.
- Euphonium/Bariton
- Tuba
- See the section below on the history of wind instruments for more details.
- harp
Instruments with octave shift
Some instruments are read in standard pitch but sound in a different octave. This is done to limit the number of ledger lines needed to write your parts. This group includes:
- Piccolo (sounds an octave higher than writing)
- Bass flute (sounds an octave lower than written)
- contrabassoon (sounds an octave lower than written)
- Guitar (sounds an octave lower than written)
- double bass (sounds an octave lower than written)
Instruments written in B flat
The concert tuning for all instruments in B flat major can be found by transposingunderan M2 of written step.This doesn't necessarily get you the correct octave.- just the right pitch - so you have to consider distance and direction based on the instrument in question.
Bb instruments include many of the more common "band" instruments. This group includes:
- Clarinet in B flat (sounds an M2 under the writing)
- Bass clarinet in B flat (sounds an M9 lower - or an M2 plus an octave - from writing)
- The bass clarinet adds an extra octave below the standard B flat major transposition. All clarinets read from the treble clef, so accounting for the extra octave the bass clarinet adds makes it easier to switch to the bass clef when that instrument is written in the concert key.
- B flat trumpet (plays an M2 below the writing)
- See the section below on the history of wind instruments for a discussion of other common trumpets and their uses.
- Soprano saxophone (sounds an M2 below the writing)
- Tenor Saxophone (sounds an M9 – or an M2 plus an octave – from the Scriptures)
- Lower saxes (tenor and baritone) add an extra octave below standard transposition. All saxophones read notes in treble clef, so to account for the extra octave when writing in concert key, it's easiest to switch to bass clef for this instrument.
Conveniently, no B-flat instrument sounds higher than its written pitch, so transpose for each of the above instruments when reading its written partsunderan M2 to find the concert key, although you need to add the extra octave for the tenor sax.
If you're reading a concert pitch line, you're transposingabovean M2 to write for a Bb instrument. Don't forget the extra octave for bass clarinet and tenor sax.
Instruments written in E flat
You can find concert tuning for all instruments in E flat by transposingaboveuh m3 orunderan M6 as the written sound.This doesn't necessarily get you the correct octave.- just the right pitch - so you have to consider distance and direction based on the instrument in question.
This group includes:
- Clarinet in E flat (sounds like an m3 from the writing)
- Alto Saxophone (sounds like an M6 under the writing)
- Baritone saxophone (sounds an M13 – or an M6 plus octave – from the Scriptures)
- Lower saxes (tenor and baritone) add an extra octave below standard transposition. All saxophones read notes in treble clef, so to account for the extra octave when writing in concert key, it's easiest to switch to bass clef for this instrument.
When reading a clarinet part in E flat major, transpose a m3aboveto find the tone of the concert. If you're reading an alto or baritone sax part, transpose an M6underto find the concert key, although you need to add the extra octave for the baritone sax.
If you're reading a concert pitch line, you're transposingunderan m3 for writing for E flat clarinet. If you're reading a concert pitch line, you're transposingabovean M6 for writing for alto or baritone sax. Don't forget to add an extra octave for the baritone sax.
Instruments written in F
You can find the concertante tuning for all F instruments by transposingundera P5 of the written sound. Conveniently, this gives you the correct pitch.eoctave for both instruments.
Both "horns" are written in F. This includes:
- English horn
- Waldhorn
- See the section below on the history of wind instruments for a discussion of the many keys in which horn players are required to play.
- Many modern horn players prefer to refer to the horn simply as a "horn".
If you're playing cor anglais or french horn, transposeundera P5 to find the tone of the concert.
If you're reading a concert pitch line, you're transposingabovea P5 to write for cor anglais or french horn.
Other implementation tools
Almost all instruments fall into the above categories, but there are two outliers.
The clarinet in A is the only instrument that has a standard transposition in A. (Trumpet and French horn parts are also occasionally written in A. See the Brass History section below for more details.) To find the concert tuning of the clarinet from an A section, transposeundera m3 of written pitch. To write in this transposition, you would writeabovea m3 concert field. Students often confuse these transposition directions with the more common E flat major instruments because they are opposites.
The alto flute is the only instrument that has a standard transposition in G. (Horn parts are also occasionally written in G. See the Brass History section below for more details.) To find the tuning of a G part, transposeundera P4 of the written sound. To write in this transposition, you would writeabovea P5 from the concert area. Students often confuse these transposing directions with the more common F instruments because they are diametrically opposed.
A Brief History of Wind Instrument Writing
high brass
Wind instrument transpositions often confuse students because they evolved into their modern forms at a later date than many of the other instruments. This means that depending on when a piece was composed, there are a wide variety of “keys” in which the piece can be written.
Early versions of the two high wind instruments, trumpet and French horn, could only play overtones from their instruments' natural harmonic series, meaning that early versions of these instruments were not fully chromatic. To compensate, composers wrote the part "in X" to show the performer what "key" their instrument needed to be in to play the part. Simply put, the artist had to change instruments every time he changed keys. The practice of writing multiple transpositions for these two instruments continued into the 20th century - long after both instruments had become fully chromatic through the addition of valves - due to competing standards of what pitch the instrument would be tuned to.
Modern professional trumpeters and trumpeters are masters of transposition. They choose the instrument they will play based on the timbral characteristics of each instrument, regardless of the transposition chosen by the composer. Modern trumpeters generally use instruments tuned in Bb, C, D, Eb and A and sometimes even F-G. they can switch to a Bb “string” on a double horn, or even an Eb or F “string” (an octave higher) on a triple horn. All these transpositions can be found when reading sheet music. If you write a modernBandaIt is customary to write the trumpet parts in B flat and the horn parts in F. If you're writing a modern orchestral piece, it's easier to just write the C trumpet and F horn parts. which instrument, however if you want a specific trumpet (e.g. cornet, flugelhorn, piccolo, etc.) you should ask a professional what transposition works best.
low brass
Luckily, all low brass instruments read in concert pitch, so writing them is relatively straightforward. However, don't get confused when trombonists refer to their instrument as a Bb instrument. The keynote of the trombone is a concerto in Bb, butAlwaysreads the voices written in C. It's an instrument that doesn't transpose.
The tuba often confuses students for the same reason. Tuba players have a variety of tubas to choose from, including instruments with B flat major, C major, E flat and F roots. This does not change the key in which tubists read; its parts must always be in harmony. Instead, they learn a new set of "fingerings" for each instrument. Note that this is the opposite of how trumpets and horns approach transposition.
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