Klarinet Archive - Posting 000340.txt from 2001/01
From: "Keith Game" <kgame@-----.au>
Subj: Re: [kl] transposing
Date: Wed, 10 Jan 2001 21:37:39 -0500
----- Original Message -----
From: <Kyleh518@-----.com>
Subject: Re: [kl] transposing
> any instrument
Kyle, I'm not a teacher, so there may be errors of detail in the following.
This is a quick attempt to lay out the principles of transposing music. It's
fairly long, and possibly sounds condescending, as I've assumed you want the
whole story.
There are two basic pieces of information that you need.
1.) The pitch of the clarinet that the original is written for. Usually,
this will be for Bb or A clarinet.
2.) The pitch of the instrument for which you want to do the transcription.
You should also understand what is meant by "the pitch" of an instrument.
For example, the "normal" Bb clarinet is said to be "in Bb" because when you
play a C on it, the actual pitch of the note is Bb. For this reason, music
for clarinets in Bb is written 1 whole tone HIGHER than they actually sound.
Similarly, when you play a C on an A-clarinet, the sound which comes out is
"concert A", not C. So, parts for clarinets in A are written a minor 3rd (or
1 1/2 tones) HIGHER than they sound.
On the other hand, the "standard" flute is pitched in C (a C on a flute
sounds C), and is, therefore, written for at concert pitch. An instrument
pitched in anything other than C is sometimes referred to as a "transposing
instrument".
Most (maybe all, I'm not sure) transposing instruments are either woodwinds
or brass. Some of the most commonly encountered are:
Clarinets - usually in A or Bb, but often in C or Eb as well
CorAnglais/English Horn - in F, I think
Trumpet - usually in Bb
French Horn - in F (?)
(Don't take these as absolutely correct without first checking elsewhere. )
Be aware that there are also many other, less common, ones. Things like bass
flutes, trumpets, tenor bassoons, and many others. There are also some
instruments "in C" which are written for one octave higher OR lower than
they sound (eg. piccolo and contra bassoon). Finally, there are
instruments, such as bass clarinet, which are both transposing AND written
for offset by the octave. So, when you play a written Middle C on the bass
clarinet, it actually sounds Bb (2nd line - bass clef).
So, to answer your question, suppose you have a piece of music written for
Bb clarinet and piano, and you'd like to play it on a flute instead.
The flute is "non-transposing" (ie. in C), the clarinet is in Bb (ie. 1
whole tone LOWER). Therefore the clarinet part needs to be re-written 1 tone
lower. If you look at the originals, you'll notice that the key signatures
of the piano and clarinet parts are also "offset" by the same interval. For
example, if the clarinet part has a key signature of 1# (ie. G major or E
minor), the piano accompaniment will have 1b (ie. F major or D minor).
Similarly, if the clarinet part's signature is A major (3#'s) the other will
be G major (1#).
One further issue is the handling of chromatic notes. Generally, you can
just transfer the accidental from the original to the transposition.
However, you do need to be careful. For example, in transposing as above
from G major to F major, if the original has a C#, when you transpose to F
major it should become B natural, not B#, because the key signature for F
major has already flattened the B, so when you "sharpen" it, it becomes B
natural. Similarly, if the original has an F natural (ie. the "normal" F# in
G major has been flattened), this should become Eb in the transposition, not
E natural. You need to recognise this "dual" nature of the natural symbol.
In "sharp" keys (Gmaj/Emin, Dmaj/Bmin etc.) it is used to flatten
"pre-sharpened" notes. But in "flat" keys (Fmaj/Dmin, BbMaj/Gmin etc.) it is
used to sharpen the key signature notes.
So, now you just need to rewrite the clarinet line 1 "note" lower, with the
new key signature, adjusting accidentals as appropriate. Of course, you also
need to be aware of the ranges of your instruments. If the Bb clarinet part
has anything lower than D (ie. concert middle C, the flute's lowest note)
you'll have to decide what to do.
I hope this helps.
regards, Keith
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