Clef Transposition Method for Composers

Did you know that you can read Alto Sax (Eb) parts by mentally superimposing a Bass Clef? Trumpet (Bb) in parts in Tenor Clef? If so, then this if not for you – if not, then read on.

I have seen on the forum many people lament that they do not know much about transposition. Knowing how to read, write, and perform transposed parts is an essential skill. Do you want to write for orchestral brass/winds, or a pop horn section? Be able to conduct rehearsals or study important scores?

Clef Transposition, the method I use and briefly illustrated at the top of this post, requires study (and rote learning!), but learning how to apply this method is time well spent. I make no claims that this is the “best” way to do it – there are many ways to skin this cat.

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Prerequisite Knowledge:

• The 5 accidentals & how they relate
  (Fig. 1)
  

• The lines and spaces of the clefs
  (Fig. 2. Descending Clefs showing “Middle C”. From left to right: Treble, Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, and Bass Clefs. Dashed lines are ledger lines.)
  
  [On a side note, I prefer the C clef version of the Baritone Clef to the F Clef version displayed, but it is the same thing…top line = middle C ]

• The Major key signatures and how they relate to one another (order of sharps/flats, chromatic vs. circle of fifths, where they’re displayed on the clefs above, etc.)

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Enough preamble, what is this Clef Transposition method?

It is a three-step process:

1. Identify the clef that you mentally superimpose on the transposed part.
   
2. Shift the key signature/accidentals.
   
3. Shift octaves to accommodate the correct range

Open Figures 3 & 4 below in a separate tab/window for a detailed table of the most common orchestral transpositions and the associated keys/clefs.
(Fig. 3) (Fig. 4)


How do I read this mess? Take a look at the B-flat transposition at the bottom of Fig. 3.

• The text indicates (+2 Flats or -2 Sharps), so if the written key signature is C Major, then add 2 flats and the transposed key will be B-flat Major. If the written key is E Major, then subtract 2 sharps and the transposed key results in D Major.
  For the math oriented people:
  Concert Pitch = Trumpet (Bb) +2 Flats or -2 Sharps
  Trumpet (Bb) = Concert Pitch -2 Flats or + 2 Sharps

• The reference pitches are where my eye tracks when reading (your pitches may vary!) and the clef sign to mentally substitute (Tenor Clef in this case).

• The “Affect” and “Sounds” show what pitches need to be altered with accidentals.

• The second line of music is two sets of written and sounding scales. Self-explanatory.

• Beneath the music are three lines of text:
  Blue text indicates the direction of the transposition (most winds and brass sound down).
  Purple text indicates the octave shift required to read with the clef substitution to keep the sounding pitch at the written pitch range.
  Black text is an (incomplete) list of instruments that transpose at the interval shown.

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To illustrate this method with some actual repertoire, see Figure 5 which walks through the transposition for English Horn and Horn in F.
(Fig. 5)


If anyone would like repertoire examples for other common transpositions, then let me know and I will whip one up. I may also include PDF versions of the figures embedded in this post.

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Summary:

The method seems complex, but it is 3 simple steps - practice leads to fluency! Grab a clarinet part and play it on the piano, guitar, or whatever. If you know how to read and speak a second language, then you can see/hear/comprehend in one and translate (transpose) it to another. Neat.

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How do you approach transposition?
Were the graphics helpful? Notice any errors? Want more info?
Cheers

 

Agreed. Once you teach yourself that the lines and spaces can be reassigned to new pitches (but preserve the intervals with key signatures/accidentals), then you are set. Like a (guitar) capo for your eyes.

Another good point. As a brass player, I play the harmonic series of the instrument, so it helps to relate the intervals to the physical "feeling" of producing the note. If a brass musician can't hear or feel the interval/phrase before they play it, then they'll miss it more often than not. Honing this skill has been invaluable for me in pit orchestras where I have to read from multiple books.

I'll look into Marianne Ploger's stuff. Any recommendations? Always looking for new things to add to the toolkit.

Yes, I've heard it (the key transposition) referred to as turning a dial on the circle of fifths. If the instrument's transposition added 5 flats, then you turn the circle of fifths dial in the opposite direction to compensate. As simple as that.

When you look at a staff, your eyes are naturally drawn to some reference area (usually defined by the clef). The reference pitches I listed are what I use, but you will have your own preferences. As I mentioned above, my primary instruments are brass, so I gravitate towards notes that fall on important notes of the harmonic series.

Another way to look at it - the clef symbols "assign" a pitch to a line of the staff (Treble = G, Bass Clef = F, and the C Clefs = C). Since the Clef Transposition method asks you to substitute the clef on the written instrument's (transposed) part, then it is helpful to know where the sounding pitches C/F/G fall on your (mentally) superimposed clef. It anchors you in the concert pitch clef.

Great questions & thanks for the feedback.