To score transposed, or concert pitch?
I am writing for a G Tenor Saxophlute, and I am wondering whether to write the music transposed or concert pitch. Since there is no precedent, the choice is up to me. But what are your thoughts?
Even alto Boehm flutes are transposed instruments. I do not know about the numerous varieties of indigenous flutes in various keys and scales.
The Saxophlute, you could say, is an end-blown flute with a saxophone mouthpiece, in the key of G, that sounds just like a tenor sax - deep and warm, with sax timbre, articulation and note bending. It has finger holes rather than valves. There are lots of video and audio clips at tinyurl.com/saxophlute
Saxophlute is my name for it (actually, that is what my friends named it). Erik the Flutemaker (inventor and manufacturer) calls it a carbon fiber, All-Terrain Tenor Sax. He also makes a bamboo version of it.
So my original question for this post is, how would you score it? Concert pitch or transposed? (There are no right or wrong answers. Just, how does it hit you?)
David D
Comments
I don't know this instrument, but, for me, it's a transposed instrument, you say, it is in G, so the sheet music must be transposed for this key .To see if it is really in this key, play with an instrument in UT, in C, like flute or piano, and each instrument play the "key" of the other, the piano play G, your "sax" play C. If you have the same pitch, it's OK, it is in G. so the sheet music in C must be transposed in G, so 2 tons 1/2 up or 3 tons 1/2 down if you use for writing your piece a sheet music in C. Or you choose in "INSTRUMENTS" an instrument in G, and MuseScore makes the transposition automaticly.
In reply to I don't know this instrument… by Raymond Wicquart
Ok. Here is how it looks:
![Saxophute scale.jpg]( "Saxophute scale.jpg")
![Saxophlute properties.jpg]( "Saxophlute properties.jpg")
Or you could annotate the score like this:
![Saxophute scale 2.jpg]( "Saxophute scale 2.jpg")
The way I do it is that if all (or the only) instrument(s) on the score have the same transposition, I write transposed. If there are different transpositions, I write in concert pitch so I don't have to transpose in my head on the fly. Since you are probably familiar with the instrument and know the fingerings, you probably would want to write in transposed pitch if possible so you'll know how difficult you're making it.
In reply to The way I do it is that if… by mike320
Thank you all for your input.
It sounds like a consensus regarding the best approach.
Regards,
David D.