Klarinet Archive - Posting 000201.txt from 2002/04

From: Sean Osborn <feanor33@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] One more transposing technique
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 13:35:05 -0500

While at the Curtis Institute of Music, in the ear training classes, they
taught us all how to transpose. Of course for those of us who already knew,
it was boring, but I think it was good for the violinists, flutists, and
pianists, etc. to learn how.

They had an excellent technique for learning this: reading different clefs.
For example, if you have a tenor clef part - just replace it with a treble
clef, and viola!, instant transposition for your Bb clarinet. If you
would like to play a Viola part, just put a Bass clef where the Alto Clef
is (then the Cs become Ds), and more instant transposition for your Bb
clarinet. Of course you need to change the key signature, and keep in mind
accidentals. This also has less practical applications for standart Treble
Clef clarinet transpositions: to make a C clarinet part into a Bb clarinet
part with clefs means having to reading Alto Clef, to turn it into an A
clarinet part means reading in Bass Clef, and going from A part to Bb
clarinet means reading Tenor Clef.

Of course at Curtis, I used my transposition skill to learn how to read
clefs (like Baritone and Mezzo-Soprano Clef - UGH!)
Personally, I think it's easier to just see it in a different key, but if
you already read clefs well, but can't transpose, then this may work for you.

Sean

http://www.geocities.com/osbornmusic/
http://www.mp3.com/metopera/

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