Scales for transposing instruments.
I have never come across this issue before... When a piece of music is written in the key of (for example) "C", you need to transpose that, when a transposing instrument plays the part. What about scales for scale practice? Do you (for example) transpose an E minor scale (E, F♯, G, A, B, C, and D - in key of C) for a B flat tenor saxophone (into F#, G#, A, B, C#, D, E in key of D)? If not, why not when all other music is transposed?
Comments
It isn't an issue. Music is written to sound good and then the individual parts are transposed for the transposing instrument players so that everyone sounds good together. A Bb cornet player plays a C and we hear a Bb (concert pitch). But a Bb cornet player practices the scale of C starting at C for them (which sounds Bb concert pitch). Their scale of C may sound like Bb but it still has no sharps or flats for them. The only reason I can think of for transposing scales would be if you were having two different instruments playing together but in this example you would maybe have the piano playing in Bb and the Bb cornet playing in C - note that the Bb cornet player would not be practicing the Bb scale and the piano player would not necessarily need to know anything about the C scale in this scenario as they be practicing Bb.
Since the guitar is considered a transposing instrument (albeit at the octave), here's my 2¢:
If practicing solo, or with other similarly transposed instruments, it shouldn't matter if the scale exercises are transposed or not transposed.
BUT...
If differently transposed instruments are practicing scales together (e.g. in an ensemble), the exercises would necessarily be transposed.
However...
Instruments that transpose at the octave - like guitar - can 'get away with' playing in a different octave while practicing scales with, for example, a non-transposing instrument like piano.
BUT...
If that guitarist practices along with another guitarist who happens to have a capo on the second fret of his guitar, then one guitarist will need a transposed exercise so both can play in unison. This is analogous to what B-flat instruments encounter when playing with C instruments.
(Of course, with those 2 guitarists one can either add, or the other remove, said capo for unison practice. Also, if necessary, any competent guitarist should be able to transpose 'at the octave' to play 'in unison' with a non-transposing instrument .)
Regards.
Oh... BTW: Here's a 'minor' point... haha....get it?
E minor is relative to G major, not C ..... and F# minor is relative to A major, not D.
;-)
Guitar players like E and A. Which means that a B-flat instrument is going to spend a lot of time in F-sharp and B.
And then one day, the guitar player is going to want to accompany that B-Flat instrument in songs made to showcase it, and that means playing in B-flat and E-Flat etc.
So in the end, everybody is practicing all the scales.
Practice two weeks in each key and you will go through the order four times a year (counting overlaps for six and seven sharps and flats)
Best,
Gordon
In reply to Guitar players like E and A… by Gordon Friesen
And then one day, the guitar player is going to want to accompany that B-Flat instrument in songs made to showcase it, and that means playing in B-flat and E-Flat etc.
That's why the capo (playing bar chords hurts my hand!) and tablature (what?...music notation?) was invented! 😂
Regards.
Thanks for all of the comments. While I work with a few other instruments as well, my main instruments are C Melody (C), Tenor (Bb) and Baritone (Eb) saxophones. I have often wondered about the instructional books that a number of publishers have on the market, as they are a one size fits all proposition, even down to what could be termed scale exercises.
I have never given it much thought, that as the exercises are the same, the results produced will be in different keys as most saxophones are transposing instruments. In reality, just like score sheets, scale exercises should be transposed depending on the saxophone used.
In reply to Thanks for all of the… by globetrotterdk
Good point...
Also what if a Bb guy developed perfect pitch so that he could hum (or even sing) a brand new tune by simply looking at his music, without ever playing it.
Years later, he decides to join some acapella group. They hand him a sheet with a brand new tune...
Would it be transposed?... Not transposed?
In reply to Good point… by Jm6stringer
I have studied the French-Horn for many years. And I was also studied on harmony and arranging.
In dictation lessons, I sometimes heard the melody with horn-transposed pitch. (in F).
And sometimes I humm the melody with horn-transposed.
But I haven't experienced this problem in choir classes.
Also a side note: In the choir class, exercised with high-pitched pieces, The director gave the first chord as it were transposed. ex.: "F#m" instead of "Am" (then F#m is new Am) We haven't had a problem with that..
Practising scales teaches you the accidentals that you will encounter when playing in that key asit is written and not as it sounds. There wouldn't be much point in practising the C scale just because the concert pitch instruments have their score in C major and then being handed the transposed piece which is written in D Major for you Bb cornet, clarinet, saxophone. Practising scales together is less about the keys and more about timing and getting the relative loudnesses correct.