 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: ChrisC
Date: 2003-09-26 15:56
I'm just wondering if any of you are adept at sight transposition from concert to Bb pitch, and if you think it is acceptable to be handed sheet music that is in concert pitch, with the expectation that you sight-transpose.
Me, I'm just waiting for an opportunity to write some piano music a whole step down from concert pitch and telling the pianist to "deal with it."
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Author: Brenda
Date: 2003-09-26 16:09
Good for you, that would be great to see! Unfortunately transposition is a skill that clarinetists are asked to do all the time.
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-09-26 20:27
Yes, but it depends how much I'm getting paid. Double my wage and it's amazing how I can all of a sudden transpose minor 3rds and augmented 6ths. <:-)
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Author: Katrina
Date: 2003-09-26 21:46
Chris, I transpose all the time from C parts. I had to learn the skill in college in order to play some orchestral excerpts, etc., but I never enjoyed it or became particularly adept at it. Enter folk music. I began playing with an amateur folk music group, and while at first, I had a hard time with sight-transposing, it soon became obvious that it was more worth it for me to work on that than to write out allllllll the tunes. Now I have a hard time NOT transposing in certain contexts!
At any rate, I don't think I know any musicians who would expect the average clarinetist to transpose C charts at sight. The musicians I play with know I can and do this, so they react appropriately.
Katrina
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Author: William
Date: 2003-09-26 22:19
Most jazz players--myself included--learned our tranposition skills as a necessity because most "fake" books are written in C, as are most single "lead sheets". Once you get used to it, its really no big deal for melodies. But if the parts get more technical--like in opera and orchestral C, D and E parts, it can become a challenge. Many of the clarinetists with the NYC Metropolitan Orchestra readily transpose much of the time. Ben Armato (Reed Wizard guy and Met utility clarinetist, now retired) remarked in an email, that he was often better at sight reading C parts on his Bb than he was reading Bb. Another Met clarinetist, Herb Blayman, was know as the "Great Transposer" during his tenure. They transposed most to avoid the intonational problems of suddenly switching to a cold instrument. In the Opera Clarinetist, Ben Armato recommends playing all C clarinet parts on Bb for more stable intonation.
I guess the answer to your question would then be "Yes". Players do become proficient at sight-tranposing parts. Just takes practice (and necessity).
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Author: Tom A
Date: 2003-09-27 02:34
Out of interest, can you name some of the pieces, or describe their standard, that you've been asked to transpose? I consider myself competent at it, but not being a professional performer I'm not sure where my standard fits into the spectrum of abilities.
Cheers.
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Author: ChrisC
Date: 2003-09-27 03:13
I mostly deal with jazz "heads" and student compositions in jam session and read-through situations. I'm not a professional musician either, though judging from the earlier responses, it seems that professional clarinetists are in fact expected to transpose a great deal--quite a surprise to me, actually, since I assumed that in any chamber or orchestral setting a Bb part would be readily available. I get the impression, though, that many people who hand me non-transposed parts don't really understand the mental effort involved in doing so, though apparently my inability to sight-transpose is a result of not having worked hard enough at it.
When I write out music for transposing instruments, I always transpose to the appropriate key, as a courtesy to the performers and because I want the music to be played as well as it possibly can. Some kinds of music would definitely be easier for me to sight-transpose than others....I can see myself dealing with a non-transposed klezmer chart, for example, since I'm so familiar with the modes and melody types used in the style, but I have tried to deal with complex jazz/new music charts in concert pitch and just couldn't read them at all. I guess I have to work harder. (Darn.)
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Author: Ralph G
Date: 2003-09-27 03:29
Just had my first sight transposition task with the second movement of Schubert's 3rd, written for C. Nice easy little melody that got easier to manage once I knew what it was supposed to sound like. I'm much better with my ear than with my sightreading. I used to play with a church pianist who did everything in D, so I became adept at playing by ear in E. So this transposing thing is a very handy skill to have.
________________
Artistic talent is a gift from God and whoever discovers it in himself has a certain obligation: to know that he cannot waste this talent, but must develop it.
- Pope John Paul II
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Author: Steve Epstein
Date: 2003-09-27 03:54
If you are an amateur, like me, I don't think it is unreasonable to have to transpose the melody of most jazz tunes from a lead sheet. That's because most melodies of "songs" are not full of arpeggios. It's also because I can do it:-)
But if you are getting a written out "improvised" part, such as a big band section solo, or a transcription of a famous jazz musician's solo, then you should get it in your instrument's pitch. It's also because I couldn't transpose that:-)
Really, if you are an amateur, you should be able to get what you need. Maybe you need to sight transpose badly a few times before your bandmates get the idea:-)
Steve Epstein
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Author: ron b
Date: 2003-09-27 04:06
I acquired the ability to sight transpose early on, Chris, way back in the early 'fifties. So, I find it perfectly acceptable to play whatever it happens to be, whether printed or 'by ear'.
I'm a little mystified that transposing (as well as ear training) isn't taught more these days because, in a group of concert pitched instruments (ever popular guitar, bass, piano, keyboard, fiddles, etc.), face it... they rule. You don't tell the Ruling Class what to do and if you wanna make music with the ruling class you gotta do it their way.
Think about it; there's a reason they call winds "transposing instruments" 
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: BobD
Date: 2003-09-27 13:57
Being exposed to the subject of transposing on this BB has been very educational for me since it had not been part of my meager formal training.
Trying to play along- without written music- with my wife on piano, however, I realize that I was doing it without realizing it.....poor as it was.
I agree with the ron's attitude on ear training and feel that "plaing by ear" should be something every beginner should be exposed to.
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2003-09-27 14:58
I "learned" the several transpositions [encountered in the various musics] in my early days. Playing from #1, piano music with my next-door neighbor [C onto Bb], #2, G&S operettas [A onto Bb], #3, dance band [Eb alto sax onto Bb or v v], now #4, alto cl or bari sax in comm.band [Eb onto Bb bass cl]. #1, one full tone higher + 2#'s. #2, flat every note. #3-4, 4th/5th [depends on octave up/down]. The last is the most difficult for me, so since the chalemeau fingerings are the same, I just pretend I'm playing the other horn, works!, but have to think about the clarion!! Still satisfactory, but not perfect!! Oh, yes, reading parts in F [Fr and Eng horns] and bass/tenor clefs [onto C or Bb insts] takes some doing!! even for pro's as said above! Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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