How To Transpose Instruments FAST - TWO MINUTE MUSIC THEORY #23 

TIP: to quickly figure out notes transposed a Major 6 down, as is in the case of the alto and Bari sax, read it as if it were in the bass clef.

Transposition of instruments is the area of music theory I find most difficult to get my head around. This video made it much clearer. Thank you! 😊

title: 2 minute music theory video length: *allow me to introduce myself*

As a violinist learning to play trumpet, this is confusing af.

For some reason, I was never taught this in music school and have been banging my head trying to figure it out. Thank you so much for this video... it has saved me some serious anxiety.

Lower brass are not always in written in concert pitch, when they are written in bass clef they are in C, when they are written in treble they become Bb instruments

What I've learned from this video: in case I'll ever want to learn trumpet I'll just buy one in C

it's vsauce with hair

When a Bb instrument reads a C, it sounds a Bb. When an Eb instrument reads a C, it sounds an Eb. When an F instrument reads a C, it sounds an F. When a "X" instrument reads a C, it sounds an "X". The difference is the "interval of transposition." In brass parts written prior to the inclusion of valves, their parts were written in C but identified as being "[instrument] in [whatever key the piece was written in]" So, a Bach work in G would have a Horn part written in C but identified as Horn in G. The horn player would install his "G" slide (called a "crook") and, voila, you have a horn in G. There are instances where related keys are used so harmony is more easily achieved within the section (more common in Classical than Baroque). And there's the reality that instruments like Trombone and Euphonium are Bb instruments but do not transpose unless written in treble clef... But that's a story for another day....

So if i understand correctly, The reason for adding sharps or flats in the key signature is to maintain the correct intervals? Its just kinda confusing because when you transposed from C to the key of D major there was no indication that the melody was "in D" until you added the two sharps in the Key sig.

For the chart at 3:57, I THINK you switched the words "above" and "below" on the E flat instruments. I think, assuming I understood the rest of the video correctly. But thanks! This was super helpful.

:) Thank you for the video! I feel as if those almost 5 minutes of my life were invested very well! :D You explained it very well! You earned yourself a new subscriber.

Can you explain the “fixing the key” part. I understand moving the notes up or down but like I have a score written for a sax quartet (soprano, alto, tenor, baritone sax) and the soprano and tenor are Bb instruments and the music is in the key of F (one flat, Bb) and the alto and bari are Eb instruments and the music is in the key of C (no accidentals). How do I transpose it to guitar which is a C instrument and fix the written key signature. I don’t get that part

I know this Sounds weird, but when I picked up the Alto Sax I thought with most all sheet music transcribed for piano why learn the instrument as a Eb instrument. So I transposed the the fingering to C concert. When I play a C it sounds like C concert not Eb. I transposed/ learned the fingering as I if I was playing a C concert instrument. My fingers go to C and it sounds like a C. I've never heard of anyone else doing this, so maybe it is a bad thing but it works perfectly for me.

This seems a complicated subject because the music theory we have inherited, tends to simplify music notation around one treble stave, and one bass stave, which is good. Also, music written in certain keys (see the flats or sharps at the beginning of composition) sounds much better than music written fully chromatic, which sounds random. That simplicity of writing music nice and easy comes at the expense of inability to add every instruments' real pitches on that simple, 5-lines stave. To make room for all pitches we hear in the orchestra, and without transposition, the stave we should be using would have not 5 lines, but 25-30 lines, and should have no key signature; the music would be written fully chromatic, that is, with flats and sharps next to each note for each instrument. THAT would be a nightmare!

Thank you! I was really confused about why and how you deal with transposing instruments, and this helped me understand it

Very informative and easy to follow explanation. Thanks!

I personally find it easier to think of it as a twist of the circle of fifth... I say: transposing instruments have signatures build in the instrument. Bb 2b, Eb 3b, F 1b or even a A clarinet 3# ( just like the major scale) their circle is turned just by that amount of bs or #s.. concert pitch = written pitch + instrument signature. done. example: concert pitch Eb (3b) gives written pitches F instrument 3b-1b=2b Bb, Bb instrument 3b-2b=1b F , Eb instrument 3b-3b= 0 ,C, A instrument 3b -3# = 3b + 3b = 6b Gb. no up and down confusion anymore.1b = -1# that is all.

Thanks, this video is a lifesaver, my music exam is tomorrow and I needed to know this

Trombibe and tuba are actually Bb, but play in C when written in bass clef.

I am desperately trying to understand transposition. I play clarinet in praise band at church. The music leader always provides me with sheet music in the correct key since my clarinet is B-flat. When he was out and someone substituted, I was provided with the wrong sheet music; I was provided the same as the piano which I knew doesn't work. When he asked me "what key do you need?" I said I didn't know because I don't understand transposition. Unfortunately, I'm still struggling even after watching this video. Like how do I know the transposed score for clarinet is D Major? By the first transposed note? Like how would I know that D major has 2 sharps? Is this just something that must be memorized? Or is there a formula to work it out? I'm really so confused. I wish I would have been taught this at a younger age. At 60 my brain is not what it used to be.

Trumpets in D are very common in Baroque music. Beethoven used this kind of trumpets in symphonies 2, 7, 8, 9. But it is easy to do the transposition, thinking in the piano, the sound or effect is just a degree above, a major second above of the written note.

This was surprisingly easy to understand. It’s really all about applying the rules of the transposing instrument and profiting.

As a piano player who impulsively bought a saxophone knowing they were transposing instruments, I don't think it'll truly click until I start putting them together. Example, if I write a chord progression for piano and want to improvise on saxophone, I would write the chords a whole step up for the sax but the pitches would still sound the same? I think I get it but man it's so confusing

First advice I have seen which makes transposition a little clearer than the mud I had it viewed in earlier. Thanks

Struggled with this for a looong time, but it's much clearer thanks to your video. Started on trombone, so I never had to worry about this headache lol.

Does "written" mean written in concert pitch or written in the transposed sheet music? The terms "sounding, playing, and written" is what is confusing to me. So if see written music already in c and the note is e flat on top staff, and i want to transpose it to G for alto flute Step 1: i first figure interval c-g=5th because i am already in concert pitch, but I know that thr answer is a 4th??? What if i instead am playing "does thid mean "sounding" the written note already transposed into G or sounding the written note in concert pitch. The terms are what is losing me. And i need step 1 then 2 along with the terms explained.

Is it alright to transpose parts of a song instead of the whole song? I want to adapt the music to an instrument for solo that doesn’t have the range needed. Sometimes I need to transpose down a fourth in some parts, but everything still sounds good when played together. Am I breaking any music laws here?

This channel is awesome, I´m an audio engineer who only knows the basics of music but this channels helps me a lot, thanks man.

Which should Il be my focus: You, or the background music? I might be the only one, but for me, the music is terribly distracting. Would love to listen/watch, but just too much going on.

I just watched this with a student before working through some transposition drills - it was helpful - THANK YOU!

A treble clef think mezzo clef; E treble clef bass clef; G treble clef think baritone clef

Thank you! I'm cramming for my music final and this really helped haha.

I’m teaching a melody for class tomorrow and this just saved my life!

thank you so much I have a AP test tomorrow

Thanks for this! It's confusing as a composer when writing for all of these different instruments. So i guess you can write a trumpet like normal?>

this made a ton of sense...finally clicking thanks!

Me: has somewhat perfect pitch and is used to concert pitch Also me: starter Bb clarinet. *Visible contusion with a C sounfing like a conxert B flat*

When I was in high school I tried to learn French horn but I only had a trumpet book. Only instrument I've ever given up trying to play :-)

I think I get (im a Bflat trumpet player) so if someone told me to play a concert G would that be A for me?

the only thing i don’t understand is why when going from C to Eb, the C becomes and A and not an A# if it’s moving up a Major 6th (i don’t understand this too much yet, but i know major and minor are differentiated by how many half steps apart they are)

Pretty clear for the basics. Thank you for sharing :)

thanks. i play calrient in my school band but piano on my personal time so I really needed this.

Thanks for the vid, mentioning the compensation for the transposed instruments was awesome. You explained it well

usually horns trumpets play in c major a minor c minor only and switch croiks

You are a boss! thank you for making something so simple and efficient. I read probably 500 pages and you summed it up better in 4 mins. Good Job Mate!

my head hurts bro

It's extremely informative and the examples helped. But the background music is very distracting when you try to listen and comprehend this subject.

finally! something straight to the point. Thanks!

This was so amazingly helpful 👍

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! for explaining such a challenging concept so well!

Is there a normal clarinet no b flat?

Okay, here's what I'm not getting. Using the A440 standard, middle C is defined as about 261 Hz. Assuming that other notes work the same way, why transpose in the first place? If you play a C, it should always be at 261 Hz or some octave above or below it right? Doesn't an E flat clarinet still produce a C at one of the above frequencies? Regardless of fingering used, if you play a sound from any instrument, and it is at 261 Hz, isn't it always a C? Some clarity would be appreciated. Thanks

1:01 "Practically speaking there are two different types of transposition" Me: Yeah but I play French horn so anything is game.

Extremely tight! Well done.

Is it in d major because it starts with D ?

this helped me study for my midterm

What I was planning to do when i get the trumpet I was going to look at the trumpets sheet music. Play the notes on the piano and play It on the trumpet. Can I still do that? Or would I have to move all the notes up one?

so if a understand correctly different instrument a different pich. so it's to avoid having music sheets written all over?

Thank you! So clear!

Writing music when I was younger and even today, this sucks. But not hard to do. Since I play Clarinet, little bit of trumpet and violin and piano makes sense why you have to do it. The french horn in F always confuses me. Same with Alto and Tenor sax. I have to count and often refer to a chart particularly in concert keys that have more sharps or flats.

Two Minute Music Theory Trumpets come in various different keys, as does Harmonicas, Saxophones, Clarinets, Oboes, Bassoons, Flutes, Carillons, you name it. The Key of G is another awesome transposition & some very adorable examples are the Alto Flute in G which transposes down a fourth & the G Treble flute which transposes up a fifth. The Turkish Oud does the exact same thing as the Alto Flute because Turkish people want you to transpose down a fourth from what's written. The C Tenor Flute & C Tenor Oboe sound an Octave Lower than written, as does the C Tenor Sax, & the False Treble Clef Cello Music is you heard this piece:ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R7GoVg9QtKQ.html

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it's probably 2 semitones above a duck.

Thank for sharing! This is a great refresher.

I have had this explained to me so many times... and I still don't get it... If it sounds like a Bb... that's a Bb! (settle in, this is gonna be wordy) For example, I think my confusion is this... why is a trumpeter taught that what sounds like a Bb on a piano is a C on their instrument? Why not just teach trumpeters that that is a Bb, and then write music correctly, since the sound is the end result we care about... or am I missing something? You mentioned at the beginning that having transposing instruments has to do with the "how it's played." So, this is really just to make learning other instruments easier? That seems dumb to me. I assume that means so that if you have a 3 valve instrument (trumpet, baritone, french horn) or something with a bunch of keys (oboe, clarinet, saxophone) a certain fingering is always called "C," even if the note produced on some instruments isn't a C. Is that right? That still seems dumb to me. This explains why some people can play so many instruments. We've rigged the system to make it easier. Technically, one of those instruments is learned, but then, if music were just written, and we had to learn around it, then learning similar instruments would mean using the same fingerings to play different notes between the instruments. For example, fingering what sounds like a C on "Instrument X" would produce a Bb on "Instrument Y", therefore learning it, technically correctly, would mean learning conflicting fingerings between instruments. They work the same way, so muscle memory would screw us up, huh? Have I finally understood this? I played trombone in high school, so this idea has always seemed really off to me. Just slide it till you find it. ;P OMG... you can practically see the gears grinding in my brain as you read the above, huh? If the ending statements are correct, then I literally, just learned all this while writing that paragraph.

Uh, isn't trombone a Bb instrument ? Is there a bias here ? I always thought the oboe was the instrument to ridicule. That, or the banjo. I see you eventually include trombone in C concert pitch. I guess I was playing it wrong through to Grade 8 Conservatory. My bad. (Sound of sad trombones).

usually clarinets never play in keys which use more than four flats or sharps one just switches instruments

Sir ,thank you very much for your clear explanation.

Omg thank you sooo much brother!!! Thank you!

Thankyou, this was incredible!

This video helps so much!!! Thank you!

thanks and great background music as well. What is it?

thank you so much i fr thought i was gonna fail my music theory test

Hey man where's the transposition for A Piccolo Trumpet?

Pretty good description of how it works but you didn't seem to address one obvious point (unless I missed it, which is always possible!). You say transpose all the notes up/down a major 2nd (or whatever the transposing interval is) and then you say "and don't forget to put in the new key-signature". If you transpose all the notes by the same interval first of all, some of them would need sharps or flats like E up a major 2nd would need to be F#, not F). Here's the closely guarded secret: the key-signature does that for you. So however far and in which direction you need to transpose, make sure you start with the new key-signature, the you just move the notes up and down by the same distance on the stave. No more worrying about major or minor 2nds/3rds/whatever, because *the key-signature does it for you*. So just slide the whole tune up or down by one step of the stave. Or two if you're transposing by a third, and so on. Ignore all these instructions you see which tell you that you need to check each note separately to ensure the interval is correct. *The key-signature does it for you*. The only thing to be careful of is, if there's an accidental in the original, there will be an accidental in the transposed version, and if there isn't there won't be. Careful to note, accidentals doesn't mean just sharps, flats and naturals. it means sharps, flats and naturals which aren't in the key-signature.

Great video, you deserve more subscribers!

How do you change the key signature?

Just dabbling in music theory, this seems bizarre and impossible to explain apart from lazy convention.

And the reason why is so the player doesn't have to learn different fingerings for every key, for every version of their instruments. Bb trumpet vs C trumpet

How do you transpose from an alto sax to tenor sax

Awesome explanation thank youuuuu!

also sharp vs flat keys

4:11 what about euphonium or Bari sax?

I’m just tryna play classic rock guitar lines on my saxophone

Yikes! Sorry wrong classroom... I'm just starting out... But I am scared now.

Thanks! That was really helpful to me!

Well explained, thank you good sir

Thank you

As a pianist and a Tenor, Playing other instruments by yourself is easy. Until you attempt to read the score and play. 😂😂😂😂😂 #fml

Ahhhh this is hard 😂 as a drummer 🥁 I'm going to have to check ✅ in a mental institution.... OMG whyyyyy????

Excellent.

Excellent!!

What if transposing from b-flat to f

sir! please said about some composers writing for brass and wind instruments in C !!

Great video...thanks!

Super helpful. I don’t know why I couldn’t wrap my head around the concept of transposition, but this hit the nail on the head. Like the crucifixion

I don't understand why you put the flats in when transposing, could you explain that?

Cool video. x

What does P5 stand for?

Thank you!