 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-02-01 21:52
By way of quick background I recently purchased Howard Klug's The Clarinet Doctor book and am enjoying it.
Among the many approaches he takes in it, one finds the reader faced, on page 22, with the first of the well known 40 Rose Studies (Book 1) as Mr. Klug proceeds to transpose its first few measures into various keys.
Suddenly, music I thought could play practically in my sleep became a whole new challenge as accidentals were introduced, and I thought how interesting it might be to take etudes I thought I knew so well, and transpose them into new challenges.
Given AI being all the rage, I inquired with it about tools to effect such changes:
https://tinyurl.com/mw7rrh46 and was pointed to 3 such tools:
ScanScore, FORTEScan, and MuseScore as starting points for such an endeavor.
I was wondering if anyone had thoughts on these or other tools to effect my desired outcome.
TIA
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Author: lmliberson
Date: 2025-02-01 23:32
Well, if your desired outcome is to learn to transpose, the best tool for transposition is one’s own mind. It may seem difficult, especially at first, but it’s a necessary skill for anyone who plays (especially) in an orchestral setting or works with singers. Just like any other aspect of being a musician/clarinetist (such as embouchure, reeds, fingers, phrasing, etc., etc.), transposition should not be overlooked. Actually, it should never be overlooked.
Software is just fine only if one doesn’t want to take the time or find the need to learn to transpose. I recognize that there are times that using such software is really valuable, such as taking the entire original D clarinet part to Till and having it put in Eb. But, for the most part, it really should be done at sight, in one’s head. Besides, it keeps one on their toes!
Furthermore, I have never thought of the first Rose study to be ‘easy’. If it is studied in the right way as a legato study, it is tortuous. Bonade himself stated that it is the most difficult slurring study for the clarinet. It simply depends on how it is approached.
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-02-02 00:44
My desired outcome isto challenge my sight reading and playing skills, which comes from playing things I don't already know. For example, Klug took the first study mentioned, presented in the Rose book with no sharps or flats, and bumped it up a semi tone to C# major with 7 sharps. As if the increased accidentals wasn't more challenging, so too was going from throat G# to full fingered D#, the original work being from G to D.
I have little desire to become proficient at transposition and would far rather the time and work involved to be done by machines, focusing that time on other endeavors.
I don't conflate (not that you've accused me otherwise) being able to play things like the Rose Studies with their ease, but rather 50 years of working at them. 
Post Edited (2025-02-02 01:01)
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Author: SecondTry
Date: 2025-02-02 00:45
My desired outcome is to challenge my sight reading and playing skills, which comes from playing things I don't already know. For example, Klug took the first study mentioned, presented in the Rose book with no sharps or flats, and bumped it up a semi tone to C# major with 7 sharps. As if the increased accidentals wasn't more challenging, so too was going from throat G# to full fingered D#, the original work being from G to D.
I have little desire to become proficient at transposition and would far rather the time and work involved to be done by machines, focusing that time on other endeavors.
I don't conflate (not that you've accused me otherwise) being able to play things like the Rose Studies with their ease, but rather 50 years of working at them.
Post Edited (2025-02-02 01:01)
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Author: Dan Shusta
Date: 2025-02-02 02:56
SecondTry,
This has come up before and I suggested the following "free" software:
https://transposr.com/
It transposes MP3 and TEXT files. There are many conversion softwares available to get whatever you have into a TEXT file.
I hope this helps you.
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Author: Bennett ★2017
Date: 2025-02-02 05:10
Consider Smart Score Piano Edition, US $79
https://www.musitek.com/smartscore64-piano.html
It combines good (not perfect) optical character recognition of pdf's, a good proof-reading system to allow comparing the original with the recognized version, plus a good editor that allows for easy transposition.
There's a free demo available. The piano edition allows for 2 staves a time but works fine with just the single staves appropriate for wind instruments.
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Author: symphony1010
Date: 2025-02-03 13:02
In days gone by you'd get quite a look if you turned up in a pro orchestra with some minor element transposed and written out.
It was Viennese nights that made my brain work hard or those moments when the part said Bb clarinet for 10 bars when you'd been on the A for the rest of the piece.
The only written out things I used were La Valse on bass, the Strauss oboe concerto and bits of Rachmaninov bass clarinet in A. Probably others but those were commonly accepted as OK to use a written out part.
I really useful thing for bass players is to volunteer as a fake bassoon. You soon get used to it - until it heads into the tenor clef!
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The Clarinet Pages
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