There is a certain degree of fingering similarity across woodwind families.The same is true for all major modern woodwind families. Thus, a clarinetist can associate a certain notated pitch with a certain fingering, no matter how large or small the instrument.
Additionally, all members of the clarinet family read from parts written in treble clef, even the very low-sounding members. A clarinetist, for example, only needs to learn one set of fingerings, and can use them on all members of the clarinet family.So why are we stuck with this bizarre system? The transposing system does actually have some benefits, though really only to the players of transposing instruments: ( And that’s just the system used for the modern band and orchestral instruments!) I wonder if I’ll need the C book for flute, too? Wait, let me make a phone call.” Hmm, and I guess I also need the B-flat, in case I play clarinet on anything. Gigging musician: “I need to buy the fakebook in E-flat.So C for clarinets and tenor saxophones, G for altos and baritones, E-flat for English horn… or is it F for English horn?…” Educator: “Okay, everybody play a B-flat scale.Conductor: “Let’s see, the alto saxophones have an E and a B, the tenor has a D-sharp, and the baritone has a D-natural.Composer/arranger/copyist: “What was that transposition for alto flute again? A fourth, I think, but was it a fourth down or a fourth up? Or was it a fifth?”.This system is, shall we say, “difficult:” Sometimes a visual representation is useful (here are transpositions for some common woodwind instruments): Instrumentsīaritone saxophone, Contrabass clarinet in E-flat If I am playing an alto saxophone, and I see an F-sharp on the page, I think ‘F-sharp,’ and do the correct fingering for F-sharp, and then I blow into the instrument and an A comes out.” To get the what across, I usually have to resort to an example: “Okay, so it works like this. Twelve Major Scales and Arpeggios (Concert Keys)īasic Scale Sheets – B-flat, E-flat, A-flat, F, and C Concert Scales, each pitch is annotated to reinforce the key signature.I find it difficult to explain to the uninitiated the concept of “transposing” instruments.
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