Transposing help please!!

[Dave Hayami]

Hello,
Pretend that it is in Bass clef (Middle C treble clef turns into one ledger line down E bass clef),add 3 flats to the key signature(Think of positive/negitive numbers, 3 flats would "zero" out 3 sharps, and adjust the odd natural in the music, and maybe some octave transfers ) If you can find a tuba part to any song and the Bari Sax part to the same song, you'll see what I mean
Or just find an Eb tuba and play it like treble clef trumpet fingerings.
Good Luck,
Dave Hayami

[a2ba4u]

Harold, I believe you are mistaken. The trick you suggested works for parts written in Bb. If the original poster is reading a bari sax part, the part will be in Eb.

In this case, the easiest thing to do is to:

1)ignore the clef. Read it just like bass clef (for example, look at the note that is WRITTEN on the bottom space of the treble clef, the note F, and then PLAY a bass clef bottom space A)

THEN

2)look at the key signature of the part and add 3 flats. This means that piece WRITTEN in 1 sharp will be READ as being in 2 flats. Thus, the A that you read in step 1 is going to be an A natural.

Because it is difficult to deal with accidentals on the fly (unless you're used to it), go through and actually mark the appropriate accidental notes. To figure the note out, just take the written note and transpose DOWN a major sixth or UP a minor third to get the appropriate concert pitch note.

Kyle

[WoodSheddin]

bari sax is an Eb transposition. this happens to be the easiest, in my opinion, of the transposed keys. add three flats and read it as bass clef. all accidentals are relative to the new key

example key printed is G major and the printed note is a first space in the staff F. change key to Bb Major because the first added flat canceled the F# in the signature and the other two make the key of Bb with two flats. The first space note read as bass clef is an A natural

example key of F and printed note is second line G# in the staff. flat the key three times for a new key of Ab with four total flats. the second line G# reading it as bass clef is a B of some type. The mew key states a Bb, but there is a # accidental. This raises that note 1/2 step. So the Bb becomes a B natural.

clear as mud?

grab anything in treble clef which is a familiar tune to you with a couple of accidentals written in and play through it with the Eb transposition which bari sax uses and you will pick it upo because the tune is familiar so you know readily when you get a note wrong or right.

this is also how you can read any Horn solo which was written for Horn in Eb.

[quinterbourne]

Yes! Excellent explanations. Yes! The tricky part is with the accidentals. A written natural sign doesn't necessarily mean a natural sign in the "new key."

If in doubt, transpose the written note up a minor third. So, a written F natural is an A flat for you, a written C sharp is an E natural for you.

Although reading E flat treble clef is rather easy, I still like to type the part into a music program and have it transposed to bass clef concert pitch. I am able to read the E flat stuff just fine (and I often have to when we sight read stuff), but I feel a lot more secure when I am reading a transposed part (ie after the reading rehearsal and for the concert).

If you know you're going to perform the piece, and you have trouble playing it the way it's written, I would suggest rewriting the part out in bass clef.

[elimia]

From wherever you will find yourself on the treble clef Eb-transposed music, you will rotate counterclockwise three positions when converting it to "concert pitch" bass clef:

Bloke, that's a very cool diagram!

[LoyalTubist]

Those of us who started out on trumpet and then played the tuba, were handed an E-flat tuba! We read the E-flat below the staff as a middle C. It is such a natural transposition. You don't even have to think about it. The accidentals--add three flats to what ever is in the key signature. It sounds complicated, but you get used to it.