Apple Charlie

That's helpful. I cannot imagine a saxophone coming up. In all the past papers I haven't seen a single saxophone yet alone a saxophone related question. I have done several more practise papers including bass clarinets and clarinet in A and the only issue I had was that I transposed a bass clarinet in A down two octaves instead of one. Easy mistake to make though at midnight. Thanks for the help.

I think we may have cracked my problem - I use the word think because its early days. After I read this post, I got some of the mock papers out and on manuscript paper answered the questions. I have done a couple of Bb Clarinets and a couple of Horn in F. Instead of my usual method, I wrote out the full chromatic scale that way whatever the paper threw at me, I had a point of reference. So far so good! Now, just to make sure I have it straight: Horns in F, Bb Flat Clarinet, Trumpet in Bb - all go down Eb Flat Clarinet goes up. Correct? I cannot think they would ask another instrument besides these (except Bass Bb flat Clarinet which I know I use the same method but then knock it down an octave)

Forget Grade 5, I should have gotten over it at University! I am trying to embrace the concept that at least I am confronting the issue instead of curling up in a ball like a hedgehog. To me Q1-Q3 are bliss in comparison to this - each to our own I guess. I get the gist of the idea - transposing instruments are not in the key of C so the written note is different to the sounding note. When you are transposing into concert pitch, you are pretty much working out what the instrument would be playing if it was for a C instrument. But where my head gets confused is the whole process of taking a Horn in F and putting it into concert pitch. So a written C would become a F - a perfect 5th below. At Grade 5, which I self taught myself, the method I used was to write out the scales in question C D E F G A B C F G A Bflat C D E F and then transpose it based on this - so if I had an E, it would become an A. I thought it was fool proof until I got the results back and realised that I got the question wrong. I have also tried it on the Teoria exercises and again met with failure. Where I go wrong I don't know - believe me, I too think its silly this concept eludes me.

Here's the scoop - I am taking my ABRSM Grade 8 Theory Exam on Saturday and yet I am struggling with transposition. Its the only part the paper I have major issue with and it will come up. Out of a possible 100 marks altogether, this section alone could equal as much as 10 marks. Don't ask me why but I have never got transposition 100% despite having studied it several times. I get the principle and know why transposition exists but its putting it into practise eludes me. I have been using the exercises on teoria to help but I am not getting anyway. The moment I get one step forward, something seems to throw me two steps back. For those not familiar with the exam in question, as part of Question 4 and 5 (music score analysis), they take a few sections of the music from transposing instruments and ask for them to be transposed into concert pitch. Maybe I get lucky and only get one question, maybe I get unlucky and get three. Commonly, its Clarinets in B flat and Horns in F appear though Bass Clarinet and E flat Clarinet have shown up too in the past papers I have. So, with days to go, I am not looking to learn the topic inside out from scratch - its not going to happen and probably would stress me out more. What I am looking for a simple method that I can go into the exam and use to work out whatever is put in front of me. Thanks guys

You can remove my name from the list. I have been working 38 hour weeks (normally its 24) all month which I can't complain about because its good pay. Does mean I did not get anywhere with my entry though which I am disappointed about.

Which timezone though? :P

Sign me up. Whether I finish it is another story but for now I'm in.

Aw! Thanks! I changed the time signature. A Masters' student should be able to cope with 6/4 and besides its what makes the piece work. I've also developed the clarinet melody further where I already had clarinet playing but I am not sure whether I should add something in bars 5-8. I have a really beautiful piano solo which is after the extract I have posted.

Thank you for the comment. I'm going to look into that time signature issue. My only question there is that the performer I am composing this for does not like "odd" time signatures. The piece I composed that spawned her request for me to write for her was in 5/4. She asked me to avoid time signatures like that but I agree with you on looking at it again.

From the comments I received from Thingeh in shoutbox, I went back and looked at the melody. I am still working on bar 16's clarinet part as I am not entirely happy with that but this is more development now. Sonata for Clarinet mov2.1.pdf Sonata for Clarinet mov.2.1.wav

I have been working when I can this past year on a Sonata for Clarinet - the work is for a good friend of mine. Attached is an extract from what will be the 2nd movement. I really like it but given the context of what the movement is for, I am not sure if it works. I know that sounds dumb but have a listen and let me know. Also, anyone know if I notated my pedal markings correctly? Comments greatly appreciated (and I know I haven't transposed my clarinet yet :P) (I'm hoping to submit the Sonata as a sample work for postgrad applications - I can talk a lot about my influences on this movement already but given its simple nature would you recommend using it.) EDIT I finally got the audio working ... its in evil wav format though but it was the only way I could figure it out. Sonata for Clarinet mov2.pdf Sonata for Clarinet mov.2.wav

That's cool then saves me editing a whole movement :D I did look this up in a notation book in the library too. All the examples had the dot on the first note rather than the second. Guess that's logical since its one note and the person playing it will see the dot in time.

This was a discussion in shoutbox on how to notate a staccato when the note is tied. Robin came up with the suggestion that I use a ^ instead.

Not quite what I have - here is a two bar extract from the flute part with the offending note in it. EDIT - helps if I actually hit attach! oneexample.pdf

We are getting there ... slowly but surely! I agree with Michael's post above. Could we possibly see a version of this which has a plain white background? Sorry if this is a pain to do. I think if we have a plain white background and then the user preference - you pick your colour for the rest (like the old old style (seems so long ago now) where we had dark red and I think wasn't it green and yellow? (I don't know I used red)), then this *might* work. Until I see a plain white background though, I don't know.