![]() ![]() They are arranged chromatically in a circle like a clock. The chart below represents each of the 12 notes or keys. Transposed Key of E Essential for all saxophone playersĪs saxophone players, we need to be able to calculate this transposition instantly so that we can play with other instruments that are in concert key like piano and guitar.įor example, if you are playing with a group and they tell you the next song is Stand By Me in the key of A, you will need to transpose.Ĭan you do it in your head right now? Saxophone Transposing Chart So on our saxophone which is in the key of E-flat we need to transpose down a minor third which would put us in the key of E on our instrument. In this example the music is in the key of G. Important:įor any E-flat instrument, you want to be playing notes that are a minor 3rd (or 3 half steps) below the concert or “heard” note. The examples reflect how saxophone players typically visualize and think about transposing. Baritone saxophones sound 2 octaves lower. *alto saxophones sound an octave lower than shown in the examples. This means that when you play a C on your alto or baritone saxophone the note that is heard is actually an E-flat. *Alto and baritone saxophones are in the key of E-flat So on our B-flat saxophone we need to transpose up a whole step putting us in the key of A on our instrument. In the following example, the music is in the key of G. Important:įor any B-flat instrument, you want to be playing notes that are 1 whole step (or 2 half steps) above the concert or “heard” note. The interval between the note or key that you play in (on a transposing instrument) and the actual note or key being heard (concert key) is constant. So if you are playing along with other musicians or a backing track, and they are in the key of B-flat, you will want to play in the key of C on your tenor or soprano saxophone. *tenor saxophones sound an octave lower than shown in the examples. This means that when you play the note C on a tenor or soprano saxophone, the note that is heard is actually a B-flat. *Tenor and soprano saxophones are in the key of B-flat. We refer to those instruments that don’t transpose as being in “ Concert” key or the key of C. This means that notes played on a saxophone will sound different from a note of the same name played on another instrument such as the piano or guitar. The saxophone is a transposing instrument. If you continue to practice, playing from a score with both the written and actual pitch on it, you are sure to get used to it soon.In case your are not 100% sure how transposition works, I’ve put together this concise saxophone transposition guide to clear things up.Ĭlick here to get a downloadable pdf of this guide. There is no need to be overly concerned with the details of this process when first starting out. When actually playing in a group, however, because it is more convenient to use names for the notes that are common to everyone, the notes are referred to in terms of actual sounds (hence term concert pitch). This arrangement was originally conceived with the intention of making saxophone fingerings easier. For an F major on the alto saxophone, the player should play a D major on the score. What that means in practice is that to play a concert F major on a tenor saxophone, the player should play a G major on the score. When a C is played on a tenor saxophone, however, the actual pitch produced corresponds to a B♭ on a piano, and in the case of an alto saxophone, playing a C actually produces an E♭. Tenor saxophones are tuned to B♭, and alto saxophones are tuned to E♭, but when playing the same note on a score, the fingerings are the same. Transposing instruments produce sounds different from those in the score and those produced by non-transposing instruments (the piano is the standard for actual or "concert" pitch). Because the saxophone is a transposing instrument, when changing from one instrument to another, such as from an alto to a tenor, playing the same score will produce different actual sounds.
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