It would be confusing if they had to read different pitches and different key signatures for the same fingering! So at some point in history, someone decided that the first note of the basic scale on any clarinet should be written as C, even if that note sounds like B-flat, or A, or E-flat. But the fingerings are the same on all clarinets: if you play a B-flat major scale on the B-flat clarinet, it feels exactly the same as playing an A major scale on the A clarinet or an E-flat major scale on the E-flat clarinet. But clarinets come in other sizes: the clarinet in A, with the basic scale of A (a slightly bigger instrument, one half step lower) and the clarinet in E-flat (a smaller instrument, one fourth higher).
![notes in an octave notes in an octave](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/CYJFu2MTYjk/maxresdefault.jpg)
Here’s why this matters for music notation: if the clarinetist plays their basic scale on a B-flat clarinet, they start on a B-flat. Wind instruments that are longer produce notes that are lower. Other instruments start their basic scale on a different pitch: for example a clarinet in B-flat begins on - you guessed it - B-flat. Some instruments, like the oboe, are built in C: their “basic scale”, from the lowest note (or close-to-lowest) to the note an octave above (which they reach by overblowing), begins on an actual C. If it’s a chromatic instrument it can play in other keys, but that key is still the “default” or basic key because the fingering is simplest. The whole instrument is therefore considered to be “in the key” of that pitch. The more complex woodwind instruments with full chromatic scales, like the flute or the oboe, fundamentally work the same way: like the pennywhistle, they are built around that lowest note and the octave above.
![notes in an octave notes in an octave](https://www.scoringnotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/octave-clefs-1-1024x140.png)
increase the intensity of your breath (the clarinet is similar, but it overblows at the octave-plus-fifth). To continue on to the note one octave above the lowest note, you must “overblow” – i.e. These allow you to change notes from the lowest one (all holes closed) up seven notes of the diatonic scale to one note before the next octave (the seventh scale degree, or “ti”). A woodwind instrument is a simple tube, with holes for changing notes, like this penny whistle:Ĭounting the hole at the open bottom of the instrument, you can see seven holes.
![notes in an octave notes in an octave](https://d2vlcm61l7u1fs.cloudfront.net/media/205/205d0fc5-e030-408e-9fcd-2a300695f624/phpMJfrI8.png)
![notes in an octave notes in an octave](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7d/18/f5/7d18f5667d0dd94b355138e075fe9274.png)
What IS a “transposing instrument”, and why is such a confusing thing allowed to continue?įor the most part, the transposing instruments are the woodwinds and brass, and it has to do with the physics of how they are constructed (for most stringed instruments like the violin or harp, we do not need to worry about this issue). Instrument transposition is probably one of the most confusing topics in music, so let’s begin with a little background. This article explores the reasons behind these options, and shows how to use them in your scores. While using Noteflight, perhaps you have wondered: “why can’t I make the key signature different in my clarinet part?” Or perhaps you clicked “Add Part” or “Change Instrument” in the Staff menu, and you wondered about the popup window that appears, with its three options: Instrument key, Instrument octave, and Score octave. Behind the Notation: Instrument Transposition Robin McClellan | November 30, 2017