Playing a piece in the key of Eb with..

[bbaritone_41]

How will you play a score if its in Eb and your instrument is in a different key, I want to play something in my G baritone. I'm gonna use it to audition.

I've played it already in my Bb marching baritone but I'm not familiar with the sounds of the notes in the Bb bari. I've memorized the piece already but I can't really play it on the Bb bari. I'm used in playing my G baritone that's why I'm more familiar with the sounds of the notes from it.

Can somebody help me? :(

Btw, I want to play the notes on the staff as I see it. If it's E then I play E on my G baritone.

Edited April 20, 2007 by bbaritone_41

[John Schmitt]

I'm guessing the piece is scored for an Eb instrument? Such that a written C is intended to sound the Eb above? If that's the case, you write the part up a minor 6th; that is if you're reading treble clef G baritone. If you're reading bass clef G baritone, you need to write the part up a diminished 5th or an augmented 4th, whichever is less ridiculous.

If you're talking about a concert pitched part that happens to have 3 flats, you take the part up a perfect 4th for treble clef G bari and up a minor 3rd for bass clef G bari.

Be sure to take the key signatures along for the ride in both cases.

Clear as mud?

If someone wants to check my math you're welcome to it as always.

[Shadow_7]

For a G bari, a written treble C sounds a G. A written treble G sounds a D. The sounding pitch is a perfect fourth below the written on a G bari. Or a perfect fifth up (and an octave down). For reference, a treble F is a concert C on a G bari. One octave below middle C on the piano of course.

Concert | Treble | Bass

Eb | Ab | Gb

F | Bb | Ab

G | C | Bb

Ab | Db | Cb

Bb | Eb | Db

C | F | Eb

D | G | F

Eb | Ab | Gb

I'm assuming you're reading concert pitches(bass clef), so you'd finger the corresponding clefs fingerings for the notes indicated above on a G bari.

[bbaritone_41]

I'm assuming you're reading concert pitches(bass clef), so you'd finger the corresponding clefs fingerings for the notes indicated above on a G bari.

I'm reading treble clef. The piece is also written in treble for baritone/euphonium. If you want to see the piece I'm wanting to play, it's on sibelius music and here's the link for it. It's just really a beautiful piece that really got me the first time i heard it

Sibelius link

I'm guessing the piece is scored for an Eb instrument? Such that a written C is intended to sound the Eb above? If that's the case, you write the part up a minor 6th; that is if you're reading treble clef G baritone. If you're reading bass clef G baritone, you need to write the part up a diminished 5th or an augmented 4th, whichever is less ridiculous.

Mr. Schmitt:

I thinks it's scored for a Bb instrument.

If you're talking about a concert pitched part that happens to have 3 flats, you take the part up a perfect 4th for treble clef G bari and up a minor 3rd for bass clef G bari.

Yes, it has 3 flats, I think this one almost hits the spot. b**bs

I've transposed it up perfect 4th but I think it's pretty high.

Edited April 21, 2007 by bbaritone_41

[Shadow_7]

I'm reading treble clef. The piece is also written in treble for baritone/euphonium. If you want to see the piece I'm wanting to play, it's on sibelius music and here's the link for it.

Unfortunately Sibelius doesn't have a scorched plugin for linux. So I can't view that score. All I get is a picture of what appears to be a Wilson Euphonium.

Assuming Bb Treble clef (Baritone T.C.). AKA a written F sounds an Eb. Move the written note up one staff or ledger line, and that's the note you should play(over simplification). Plus or minus a flat or sharp or two(key signature +3 flats). The G baritone sounds a minor 3rd (three half steps) below a Bb baritone. So you're basically moving the part up a minor 3rd to get what you should be reading if you didn't have to transpose it in your head in real time.

Assuming C Treble clef (piano). AKA the written note is the sounding note. Move the written note up a perfect fourth, and that's what you should play on a G baritone if you were reading your native clef. Bear in mind special accidental considerations. AKA key of C becomes key of F, so any b's or #'s are relative to the F scale, not the C scale(key signature +1 flat). Alternatively move the part down two ledger lines(a perfect fifth), although you're most likely an octave too low going that direction.

I could probably be more specific if Sibelius supplied a linux plugin. Which one would think wouldn't be all that hard since they provide a Mac OS X plugin. But they don't.

Mental tricks aside, it may be easier just to punch the part into a midi and have it transpose for you. Normally the written part is sounded a perfect 4th lower to sound what comes out of a G baritone if it were played as written. And a whole step lower if it were a Bb baritone(assuming Baritone T.C.). What you're basically wanting to do is move the written part up a minor 3rd (or perfect 4th depending on the clef). Just so you can play it as you would normally read it.

Alternatively get a recording of it as it should sound and play along on your G baritone, until you get the notes matched up. Not that there's much call for jazz improvisation on a G baritone, but it could be a usefull skillset, that few if any others have mastered.

HTH

[Martybucs]

If the piece isn't too long the easiest way to transpose it, although it will take some of your time, is to do it manually.

Yikes!!! write it out by hand on notation sheets.

Start by making a simple chart of the transposition, such as:

G A B C D E F# G = bugle

C D E F G A B C = concert

or which ever keys you are trying to transpose. You can line up the notes better by hand.

Look at the music and then write on your notation paper the proper note as it corresponds to the note on your chart.

You'll see that if you have concert pitch music and it says the note is a D then you can look at the chart and know that to transpose it to a Gbugle you have to write an A on the bugle music. Keep in mind the key signature, (you have to transpose that also), and make sure all your intervals are correct.

In a few lines you'll probably have the transposition memorized and will be able to write the correct notes very quickly.

Granted, this isn't a very modern approach and it contains the opportunity for human error, but it is quick, easy and it works.

I bet in the time it takes to read all these posts you could have it done.

Just make sure to play through it to make sure you didn't make any mistakes before you play it in public!

Edited April 21, 2007 by Martybucs

[bbaritone_41]

Thanks all! I'll take some ideas from each of all your replies.

I think doing it manually should do the trick. I'll just play some of the notes by ear then after I'm sure of some of the notes that were used in the piece. I'll just write them on paper and make a chart for referrence. ^_^

[John Schmitt]

Ah, ok. Yeah, you need to play up a minor third with three more flats then. Guess I left that one out.

So you'll be in the key of Gb instead of Eb. You can write it in F# if you do better that direction.

Edited April 22, 2007 by John Schmitt

[Penn State]

My apologies if someone did mention this. Bb baritone written on treblbe clef is one step higher than the concert pitch. For example, a G written for Bb treble baritone is a Concert F. Same relationship the Bb trumpet has with the concert pitch instrument

[bbaritone_41]

I played a couple of notes with my G bari and it sounded the same. I didn't transpose the main melody. Instead, I transposed the piano accompaniment down to major 2nd (2 half steps) and it sounded the same, but If there are still something wrong kindly tell me so that I can make corrections :P

Here's what I came up with...

Page 1

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Page 4

Your comments & suggestions are all welcome!

Edited April 23, 2007 by bbaritone_41