Transposing instruments?!


Question: Alright I understand transposing instruments completely (and think it's a good idea because it allows one player to learn every hand position for every instrument in one family). I have a composition due with alto sax and trombone (and he spefically said do not make it jazzy which is fine with me). Alto Sax is in Eb, but he wanted 2 scores and this is where I am confused. He wants it in C score and he wants the transposed score. Let me take a shot and see if I get it. I get transposed score I write it how I want the player to play it so I hear the right note, so I just take Eb and move it to C and I have a transposed score (yet I have to transpose keys but that's fine). C score I'm a little fuzzy on, do I write it as if it wasn't a transposing instrument?

Answers: Alright I understand transposing instruments completely (and think it's a good idea because it allows one player to learn every hand position for every instrument in one family). I have a composition due with alto sax and trombone (and he spefically said do not make it jazzy which is fine with me). Alto Sax is in Eb, but he wanted 2 scores and this is where I am confused. He wants it in C score and he wants the transposed score. Let me take a shot and see if I get it. I get transposed score I write it how I want the player to play it so I hear the right note, so I just take Eb and move it to C and I have a transposed score (yet I have to transpose keys but that's fine). C score I'm a little fuzzy on, do I write it as if it wasn't a transposing instrument?
Exactly. For the key of C you would write every note as the sounding note. This makes it easier for conductors. But many composers expect conductors to be able to do transpositions in their heads (ie the transposed score.)
Good question! This concept took me forever! (I'm a string player! You mean there's another key besides C?!!!!)

~Lisa
Haha, thanks. I now know to be a bit more detailed! Report It

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    • For the transposed score you write-in all the instruments' parts as they appear on their individual sheets (ie transposed). For the C score, you need to write all the transposing instruments at their actual 'sounding' pitch (eg the alto sax needs to be written a major 6th lower in the C score compared to the transposing score).

    I hope that's clear.

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