Klarinet Archive - Posting 000557.txt from 1999/10

From: "Dodgshun family" <dodgshun@-----.nz>
Subj: Re: [kl] Transposing C fakebooks - HELP
Date: Mon, 18 Oct 1999 23:50:08 -0400

> "J. Mir" wrote:
>
> > What are the quick-n-dirty tricks to transposing
> > in this environment? Any advice would be helpful.
>
> I hate transposing! Transposing makes me crazy! So I don't
> do it. Instead, I've learned the names of the notes on my
> saxophones in concert key. I've been doing it this way on Alto
> for at least twenty years, and it works great for reading chord
> changes, too. I haven't played as much Tenor, so I don't quite
> have it mastered for that one yet.

If I understand this correctly, you would know what most sax players call
"C" as "Eb", right? I would find this WAY more confusing. What I like
about the sax fingering system is that you can switch around from sax to sax
and the fingering remains the same. If I tried to "transpose" like this,
I'd find myself tied in knots! What happens when you want to play a sax
part that has already been transposed??

> I'm still learning the
> clarinet, but when I try using this system with it, I just use
> the Alto sax concert fingerings in the lower register, and the
> Tenor sax concert fingerings in the upper register. I'm not
> quite into the altissimo register on clarinet yet, so I'll worry
> about that one later. I know I should learn to transpose the
> right way, but I doubt if I ever will (because it makes me
> crazy!). I also play the bass, so I still have to transpose if
> someone hands me a saxophone part to play from (and it still
> drives me crazy), but there's no way I'm going to learn the names
> of the notes on my bass in alto and tenor sax keys!

Uhh, bass clarinet is in the same key as tenor sax, so therefore you
shouldn't have to transpose at all. I find that when I'm transposing (and
yes, I can play charts from a C fakebook on alto sax) I go by ear - listen
to the bass, guitar and keyboards, pick up where they are and go with it.
Once you're locked into it, it shouldn't be that hard. You may find that
with a little bit of practice, it shouldn't take you long before you're good
at it.

Anna

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Unsubscribe from Klarinet, e-mail: klarinet-unsubscribe@-----.org
Subscribe to the Digest: klarinet-digest-subscribe@-----.org
Additional commands: klarinet-help@-----.org
Other problems: klarinet-owner@-----.org