The Saxophone as a Transposing Instrument

Lesson 9/182 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Saxophone

The Saxophone as a Transposing Instrument

There are three basic tunings for musical instruments, these being "concert" or C instruments (e.g. piano, guitar, flute or violin), B flat instruments (e.g. tenor sax, clarinet or trumpet) and E flat instruments (e.g. alto or baritone sax).

What this means in practical terms is that if you play the same written note on each of these three types of instruments, a different note will sound for each of the three types. The reason for the different tunings is the actual length of the tubing required to make the instruments themselves, along with ease of playing. The Bb and Eb instruments are referred to as transposing instruments. If you play a C note on a Bb instrument, the sound that actually comes out is a concert Bb note. If you play a C note on an Eb instrument, the sound that actually comes out is a concert Eb note. Once you have a good knowledge of intervals, it is easy to understand the relationship between the three tunings. If you see a note written for a concert instrument (e.g C) you would have to play a note one tone higher on a Bb instrument to get a concert C note to sound (play a D note). To sound a concert C note on an Eb instrument, you would need to play a note a major sixth higher (an A note). This is a general transposing principle with these instruments whenever you are playing with other musicians or are reading a part written for a concert instrument. Most sheet music is written for concert instruments, so transposing is an essential skill for any horn player to develop. If you are called in at short notice to play with a band, you will often be expected to transpose your part to the correct key immediately. If you can’t do this, they are likely to call another horn player who can!

Shown below is a C major scale written for concert pitch instruments, along with the correct transpositions for Bb instruments (up a tone – key of D) and Eb instruments (up a major 6th – key of A). As a result of these transpositions, all the notes come out sounding in the same key (concert key of C).

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- Parts of the Saxophone 3- Tuning Your Saxophone 4- The Note B 5- The Note F 6- The Lead-In 7- The Eighth Notes 8- The Note D in the Middle Register 9- The Sharp Sign 10- The Note Low C 11- Syncopation 12- The Note E Flat 13- The Triplet 14- The Note C Sharp 15- The Note G Sharp or A Flat 16- The Chromatic Scale 17- Playing in all Keys 18- Transposing 19- More on Blues Scales 20- Improvisation 21- New Notes 22- Intervals 23- Understanding Chords 24- Chord Construction 25- Seventh Arpeggios 26- Rhythms Using Triplets 27- Expressive Techniques 28- Sixteenth Notes 29- 16th Note Set Rhythms 30- Articulations 31- Ghost Notes 32- Bending Notes 33- Call and Response 34- Minor Keys and Scales 35- Relative Keys 36- Simple and Compound Time 37- The Sixteenth Note Triplet 38- Dynamics 39- Modes 40- Scale Tone Chords 41- Seventh Chord Types 42- Scale Tone 7th Chords 43- The 2 5 1 Progression 44- Other Chord Types 45- Chord Substitution 46- Guide Tones 47- Altered Chords 48- Harmonizing Minor Scales 49- Learning Song Forms 50- APPENDIX ONE 51- APPENDIX TWO 52- GLOSSARY OF MUSICAL TERMS 53- Using the Complete CD 54- Putting the Saxophone Together 55- How to Read Music 56- Duets 57- Slurs 58- The Tie 59- Using the Octave Key 60- The C Major Scale 61- The Blues Scale 62- Swing Rhythms 63- The D Major Scale 64- The A Major Scale 65- More About Major Scales 66- Using the Key Cycle 67- Developing Rhythmic Control 68- High Notes 69- Interval Qualities 70- Arpeggios 71- Double Sharps and Double Flats 72- Alternating Thirds 73- Vibrato 74- Tempo Markings 75- Repetition and Variation 76- Accents 77- False Fingerings 78- Dip Bending 79- The Harmonic Minor Scale 80- Learning a New Minor Key 81- Swinging Sixteenth Notes 82- Volume Changes 83- Names of the Modes 84- Scale Tone Chord Arpeggios 85- Learning to Play Seventh Chords 86- Scale Tone 7th Pattern 87- 1 Becomes 2 88- Memorizing Chord Types 89- Substituting Two Ahead 90- Practical Use of Guide Tones 91- Learning Altered Chords 92- Minor Key Progressions 93- Play-Along Recordings 94- Before You Begin 95- Attaching the Mouthpiece 96- Chord Symbols 97- Key Signatures 98- 12 Bar Blues 99- Riffs 100- The Key of C Major 101- Enharmonic Notes 102- First and Second Endings 103- The Note D Flat 104- The E Major Scale 105- Accidentals 106- Improvising With Set Rhythms 107- Two Octave Scales 108- Interval Distances 109- Chords Transposed for Accompaniment 110- Growling 111- Tempo Changes 112- The Trill 113- The Melodic Minor Scale 114- Table of Minor Scales 115- The Twelve Eight Time Signature 116- Thirty Second Notes 117- Modal Tonalities 118- Major Key Triad Pattern 119- Dominant Sevenths 120- Scale Tone 7ths in all Keys 121- 5 Becomes 2 122- Extended Chords 123- Scale Tone Seventh Substitution 124- Other Guide Tones 125- Sharp Eleven Chords 126- Minor Key Modes 127- Jazz Terminology 128- Attaching the Reed 129- Keeping Time 130- Breathing Technique 131- The G Major Scale 132- Two Octave C Major Scale 133- Practical Use of Enharmonic Notes 134- The 8va Symbol 135- Intervals in Sequences 136- Improvising With Arpeggios 137- Sixteenth Note Figures 138- The Fall-Off 139- Cut Common Time 140- Scale Tone Chords in all Keys 141- Minor Sevenths 142- Other Common Progressions 143- Eleventh Chords 144- Relative Substitution 145- Guide Tones in Modes 146- Higher Extensions in Minor Keys 147- Rhythm Changes 148- Attaching the Neck to the Body 149- Where To Breathe 150- Other Useful Exercises 151- More on Key Signatures 152- Mixing Different Scales 153- Learning Intervals in all Keys 154- Augmented and Diminished Arpeggios 155- Using Modes in all Keys 156- Common Progressions 157- Practicing Scales and Arpeggios 158- Learning Standards 159- Thirteenth Chords 160- Dominant Minor Substitution 161- Substitutions in Minor Keys 162- Blues Changes 163- How to Hold the Saxophone 164- Posture 165- The Key of F Major 166- Identifying Intervals by Ear 167- How to Learn a New Progression 168- Minor 7 Flat Five Chords 169- Learning New Chords 170- Tritone Substitution 171- Blues Changes Using Substitutions 172- Fingering Numbers 173- Harmonic Intervals 174- Diminished 7th Chords 175- Listening 176- Fingering Diagram 177- The Saxophone as a Transposing Instrument 178- Transcribing 179- Playing Your First Note 180- Transposing Chart 181- Serving the Song 182- Tonguing

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The Saxophone as a Transposing Instrument