Concert Key and Transposition!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Public Service Announcement brought to you by Daniel P. Sanchez

What is it?

Concert Pitch – The note that sounds out loud when an instrument is played

Concert Key – The key signature that sounds as an ensemble plays together

Transposition – Taking a pitch (or a set of pitches) and changing it (them) by an interval

WHY?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Wouldn’t it just be easier for each instrument to read in concert key?? Then we wouldn’t have to transpose!!NO!!!! (I’ll explain this in a minute)

Musicians must be a crazy, sadistic bunch if they submit themselves to transposition on a regular basis…True Enough, but that doesn’t explain the practical

functions of transposing

Who came up with this dumb idea anyway?No one did! It just sort of evolved along with the music as

things became more challenging and technically demanding

Why indeeed......

I have come up with 3 reasons

1. Historical/Traditional Concerns

2. Range of the Instruments

3. A modern combination of 1 and 2

Tradition/Historical Concerns

Music and Musicians are deeply rooted in a long standing tradition (e.g. Italian instructions, arbitrary time signatures, etc…)

Instruments used to be keyed differently to make technical facility easierBrass – CrooksWoodwinds – entire different instruments (A clarinet,

Db piccolo are remnants of this practice)

Piston and rotary valves invented, new key systems invented

Natural Horn/Trumpet

Early Woodwinds

Range

Range:The concert key of some instruments

don’t lie well within the context of “normal” clefs

Instruments are transposed to where the bulk of their range lies within, or at least near, the staff

It cuts down on ledger lines

Range (Piccolo)

Written Pitch Concert/Sounding

Pitch

Range (Double Bass)

Written Pitch Concert/Sounding Pitch

Reason #3

More modern instruments were developed that required transposition (i.e. Saxophone)

Following the tradition of other transposing instruments, Saxophones are written in one part of the staff, but sound in another part of the staff.

Alto Sax

Written Pitch Concert/Sounding Pitch

BUT WAIT!!! There’s more…

Families of instruments like saxophones (also flutes and clarinets) can read the same music and same fingerings.

The transposition takes care of making the instrument sound in the correct register

e.g. – Soprano, Alto, Tenor, and Bari Sax all ready the same range of notes and use the same fingerings on the different instruments – the size of the instrument and the transposition give it the SATB, choir-like, sound.

So… How Does One Find Their Concert Key

An Excellent Question.

There are several ways to do this:1. Find the transposition of your instrument

and use it! 2. Use the Circle of 4ths 3. Use the handy-dandy chart Mr. Martini

made available to everyone in the band!!!!!!

Instrument Transpositions

Instrument

Written

Transposition Sounding

C Flute C Perfect Unison (P1) C

Bb Clarinet C Down Major Second (M2) Bb

F Horn C Down Perfect Fifth (P5) F

Eb Alto Sax C Down Major Sixth (M6) Eb

Circle of 4thsWhen Moving from “Written” to “Concert” Pitch

C InstrumentsDon’t Move

Bb InstrumentsMove two “hours” clockwise

F InstrumentsMove one “hour” clockwise

Eb InstrumentsMove three “hours” clockwise

Circle of 4ths

When moving from “Written” to “Concert” PitchMove clockwise on the circle

When moving from “Concert” to “Written” PitchMove counter-clockwise on the circle

Concerning Key Signatures

The sharps and flats in key signature always occur in the same order… ALWAYS!

Sharps Flats

FCGDAEB BEADGCF

Sharps - FCGDAEB

1. Five2. Cats3. Got4. Drowned 5. At6. Erie7. Beach

Flats - BEADGCF

The opposite order of the sharps

Identifying Key SignatureUse the Circle of Fourths

Each “hour” moving clockwise from C adds one flat

Each “hour” moving counter-cw from C adds one sharp

Identifying Key Signatures

Flats:The PENULTIMATE flat in a key signature is

the name of that key signature

Sharps:The LAST sharp in a key signature is a half

step below the name of the key signature (i.e. the last sharp in the key signature is the leading tone, or “ti”)

For Example

Find the PENULTIMATE flat

Another Example

Remember, the LAST sharp tells you the leading tone

Practice

Find the Key Signature

More Practice

Find the Key signature

Concert Pitch Practice

Given the Written Pitch, name the sounding (Concert) pitch for your instrument

C

Concert Pitch Practice

Given the Written Pitch, name the sounding (Concert) pitch for your instrument

Bb

Concert Pitch Practice

Given the Written Pitch, name the sounding (Concert) pitch for your instrument

D

Final Thoughts

This topic can be extremely tricky, and sometimes trips up professional musicians

If you are confused about any of these things, see Mr. Sanchez or Mr. Martini in the next few days

There will be a quiz on identifying key signatures and finding concert pitch 4/29 & 4/30 (whichever is your ensemble day)Be Prepared and ASK QUESTIONS if you need

help