 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SachikoAkimoto
Date: 2005-08-23 23:22
hmm i may seem like a noob... but i am one. i have just entered high school and in middle school we didn't do tranposing at all so i am kind of lost. i have joined the orchestra class and am going to play my Bb clarinet, but the conductor says i will need to transpose my music. (from violin to clarinet). i was wondering if anybody could give me tips/advice on how to do this or how to make it easier. would i have to know that a certain key in violin would transpose to a certain key in clarinet? im so confused.
~Mr. Goodwin said he'll help me but he hasn't yet T.T~
thankx so much
~Sachiko
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Author: Burt
Date: 2005-08-23 23:40
To transpose from violin (or flute or piano) to clarinet, you need to raise every note by one whole step. The easiest way to do this is to raise every note one step on the staff, and add 2 sharps (or delete two flats). No accidentals are necessary, unless there are accidentals in the violin part.
For example, if the violin is in F (1 flat), his notes Ab Bb C D E become:
key of G (1 sharp) Bb C D E F#. The F# gets written as F because the sharp is in the key signature. The flat needs to be written, just as the Ab needs to be written on the violin part.
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Author: BobD
Date: 2005-08-24 11:05
Certainly learning how to transpose is a worthy skill but why can't your school get you the proper sheet music?
Bob Draznik
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Author: redwine
Date: 2005-08-24 11:46
Hello,
I believe transposition is a valuable skill to know as a musician.
When I perform jazz, I use a (key of) C fake book, and have since college. This is mainly out of convenience--having only to bring one book for my trio. I find that when I go on a gig and music is provided in the key of B-flat, I have to work extra hard to not transpose.
Recently, our oboist in the US Naval Academy Band had a baby, so we played several concerts without her. For pieces without e-flat clarinet, I read her part and transposed.
I also play a semi-regular church gig where the organist throws me copied music from hymnals and even piano pieces that I sight read at the service. Without being able to transpose, this would be impossible.
Then, of course, there are many orchestral excerpts (mainly in operas) that are for c clarinet.
A definite must have skill for the serious clarinetist.
Ben Redwine, DMA
owner, RJ Music Group
Assistant Professor, The Catholic University of America
Selmer Paris artist
www.rjmusicgroup.com
www.redwinejazz.com
www.reedwizard.com
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Author: Tom A
Date: 2005-08-24 13:56
The soapbox first:
Here in the West Island of New Zealand, instrumental learning seems not to be as tightly bound to the school curriculum as in the US, and I get the impression from reading the BBoard that some pretty good American high school music programs turn out (or encourage the development of) some pretty good instrumentalists.
I mention this because, over here, a 15-year-old may be able to transpose simply, but for most it wouldn't be a highly developed skill.
Is it reasonable in US schools for a teacher to expect an instrumental student to do C transposition at sight, or in this case does it sound like a teacher of one instrument not knowing exactly what transposition means on another? Especially given that string music is more likely to be in sharp keys to start with.
Anyway, following on from Burt's description of key signature changes, if you know the name of the KEY of the violin music, you work out the KEY for B flat clarinet by going up one whole tone. Violin F major = clarinet G Major, violin B flat Major = clarinet C Major, etc.
And I support those above in saying it will be a valuable skill. Start on some of your old beginner pieces, a few bars at a time. If done regularly, you'll soon be able to transpose simply by "changing gear" in your head.
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Author: missclarinetist
Date: 2005-08-24 14:39
For an opera especially - The Elixer of Love, most of it is written in C. But to make things easier, us clarinet players took the extra time and effort to transpose the entire part in Bb. After a few practices with the written notes, I was able to signt read in C without the transpose part. Rehearsals for the opera usually last several months so its worth transposing. I agree, transposing is an imporatant skill and for some of us that has played in orchestra, us clarinet and trumpet players probably have practiced transposing more than anybody else in the orchestra.
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Author: GBK
Date: 2005-08-24 14:43
missclarinetist wrote:
> and for some of us
> that has played in orchestra, us clarinet and trumpet players
> probably have practiced transposing more than anybody else in
> the orchestra.
Talk to the French horn section ...GBK
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Author: Mark Charette
Date: 2005-08-24 16:05
missclarinetist wrote:
> After a few practices with the written notes, I was able to
> signt read in C without the transpose part.
And now, for something completely different ...
Try taking any other part written in C and see if you can still sight transpose ...
My fingers tend to remember runs I've practiced and use the music as a guideline rather than me really reading the music ...
> Rehearsals for the
> opera usually last several months
Not in the "real world"
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Author: ginny
Date: 2005-08-24 16:31
I practice sight transposing, I have a ways to go. My son sightreads piano music ( a few grades lower than his ability, but nice stuff) transposing it different keys rather than playing in the original as well a playing music he knows well in various keys.
Learn the key signature of at least the common scales. Play simple songs you know in all keys. I have a little folk song that is very scalewise but also includes the more important chords as part of the melody when not moving by scale.
Start a full note higher than the music says, C = D for example and add two sharps to the key signature to get the new key and play by interval, that works for me. I requires a fair amount of theory.
Learn your scales, if your ear is good you can transpose that way as well.
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Author: ginny
Date: 2005-08-24 16:33
Oh as a last thought, learn the sharp keys D, A, E, B, F# - as generally those are favored for the violins and you'll be playing in those frequently. Hopefully not the last one....
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