Approaches

There are many ways to approach transposition. Some people prefer one way and others may find that way completely incomprehensible. Someone might even choose to use different methods at different times depending on whether he is writing a part for a student, for example, or transposing at sight while performing.

Consider the following three approaches to see if one may work for you. Each method will provide the interval and direction necessary to transpose from one instrument to another. Remember that you must address the keys of instruments before applying the transposition to the actual key or pitches of a particular piece. Again, teachers of brass instrumentalists will typically need to work with instruments written in C, Bb, and F, but the approaches here will apply to instruments in any key.

1. Memorize. This method works for basic situations involving concert pitch transposition. In the case of the Bb trumpet, the notated pitch is written a whole step (Major 2^nd) higher than the sounding (concert) pitch. The F horn’s notated pitch is written a Perfect 5^th higher than the sounding pitch. Simply remember to transpose the correct interval and direction from concert pitch to instrument notation or vice versa.

Sounding Concert Pitch to Bb Trumpet Notation = Up a Major 2^nd

Bb Trumpet Notation to Sounding Concert Pitch = Down a Major 2^nd

 

Sounding Concert Pitch to F Horn Notation = Up a Perfect 5^th

F Horn Notation to Sounding Concert Pitch = Down a Perfect 5^th

 

For example, if a teacher needs to rewrite an oboe part so a trumpet player can cover it, she simply needs to write the part up a whole step. Likewise, if a trombone player needs to cover a horn part, he would write each note down a Perfect 5^th. As players and teachers gain more experience with transposition, interval memorization becomes much easier and they might start to use it for more complex transpositions. For people lacking experience, the use of memorization in this way can take some time to become second nature.

 

2. Transpose to concert pitch as an intermediate step. Working with concert pitch is straightforward, but what happens when two transposing instruments are involved? For example, a situation may require a trumpet player to cover a certain section of a horn part. In this case, the trumpeter could transpose the horn part to concert pitch using the memorized interval (down a Perfect 5^th) and then transpose appropriately for Bb trumpet (up a Major 2^nd):

A player or teacher will arrive at the correct transposition using this method, but it takes extra time to transpose twice. It may work for shorter excerpts but would be a prohibitive process to use in longer pieces or as a performance practice.

 

3. Transpose directly. A player who is transposing during performance does not have enough time to use concert pitch as an intermediate step. Likewise, a conductor wastes rehearsal time figuring out a two-step transposition when addressing questions. A more efficient method involves transposing directly.

 

We can see in Example 4 that the trumpet player ultimately needs to transpose pitches down a Perfect 4^th to read an F horn part. Once we know this, it’s easy enough to transpose each note in the melodic line the proper interval and direction, so it’s the initial identification that’s crucial.

 

In this instance, the situation involves a Bb trumpet and an F horn. The horn as an instrument is pitched lower than the trumpet, so a trumpet player would transpose down to sound the same pitches in the same octave as the horn. Going from the trumpet in Bb to the horn in F will result in a Perfect 4^th down.

 

At this point, someone may ask, “But if we’re transposing a horn part to play on trumpet, shouldn’t we transpose down a Perfect 5^th since we’re going from F horn to Bb trumpet?” The most important thing to remember is that the player needs to transpose her instrument to the other instrument rather than adjusting the part to her playing. She would then transpose the written notation by that interval and direction. In other words, imagine transposing the instrument before transposing the part. In our example the Bb trumpet player needs to transpose her instrument from Bb to F. Then she can transpose the part accordingly. Working from the part instead will give an incorrect transposition. Always identify who is transposing and move from the pitch of that instrument to the pitch of the part to find the correct interval of transposition.

 

The video found here may provide some help in thinking about this sometimes confusing topic.