Howzit all
this question isn't about stringed instruments but i was wondering, why can't transpositional instuments just call a C a C.
e.g. a Bb trumpet calls a C: D or Bb (i forget which) but the frequency of the note is a C.
did someone from some country decided that s/he would call a C a D or Bb, because they didn't like their neighbour?
thanks for your time
el_warko
It's so they can double.
Take clarinets, for instance. Same arrangement of keys no matter what size the instrument.
So... taking clarinet lessons, you learn that holding down the left hand thumb and first three fingers = C on a soprano clarinet in C. It'd be darned inconvenient to have to learn a different fingering for each different clarinet - you'd need to remember which one you were playing, and then think about how to finger the note.
By writing that finger arrangement as C for all clarinets, you end up with sopraninos in Ab, Eb, or D; sopranos in C, Bb, or A; alto in Eb; the basset horn in F; bass clarinets in Bb or A; and the contrabass in Bb. No matter which one you happen to be playing, or in what size, the note on the page = a fixed fingering.
The same logic holds true for the various sizes of trumpets, single horns, saxes, etc.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Cheers for that
el_warko
Plus, it spices up otherwise boring pieces when you get to un-transpose on the fly. "Let's see, this is in D, so what does this C turn into when I want to play as if it were in F...."
I play trumpet, as well as guitar and keyboards, and I can tell ou, transposing is nothing but MADDENING!..When the band is in A, i'm in B, which is a nightmare key!
