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.

Go to your profile, click on your profile picture and it should go to the page where you can change both your profile pic and avatar.

Didn't for me :(

Well for starters they have a whole section for their composers. Not only does this section have profiles (such as our wiki style ones but more extensive) but composers concerts are advertised on that section. The page also rotates the composers that are featured on the front page at random. I have already suggested that because we are forum that we tab the profile section. It is only now I've fully looked around that site that the idea I suggested with is sort of there on their site. Each composer has their own mini page in the Showcase section such as Chris Brammeld's. How I would adapt such profiles for YC is having our profiles be able to do this. The reason being - I talk a lot on the Shoutbox. If someone views my profile because of this - then they are not only finding when I was last online but they get an idea of who I am and the type of music I write. In house this is great for the community, but if each member has their own sort of mini-music website then if they are not at the stage where they need/want a website - then YC becomes a good tool for them. (PS Thanks for giving me an essay to read! :happy: !)

I don't see updating the site as a waste of money. I think you have misunderstood me. If its done right then it will be good. My concern is that as a very limited number of the members on here have responded, we would get into the position where after the new site is active, people who did not vote will become vocal that they hate it etc. It would be a rather :facepalm: situation and a waste of your time and money. My ideal musical site would be a site where I can upload my music - where it is likely to be listened to, talk to other composers about my music so I can improve and possibly find out about opportunities like call for scores. On the first and third point, I currently go elsewhere. I am not saying if you improve the site that I won't go elsewhere (for various reasons) but part of the reason, I have been vocal on these threads is because I know this site has the potential to expand to cover aspects composers are interested in but most of the discussion has been about facebook-like add ons. I won't cover old ground again but ideas such as a site wide feed might be useful "in-house" but from my understanding would be useless for getting my music out on a global scale or helping me career-wise. If I was a new member of the site, without awareness of the community as a whole, I probably would not stay around long. However, if the site really was a site for "Young Composers" and that all aspects of the compositional world were covered then as a site, we would attract a large audience and things like a site wide feed would be bonus. For example, the website Composition Today while aimed at a more professional audience does a much better job of showcasing their composers and providing opportunities than we do. If I was considering both sites, as a newbie, more inclined to join them (even though the look is dated) for that reason. Having seen what you are looking at design wise, can I ask what your plans are with the coming updates in relation to some of these aspects? EDIT: Just a small thing, I want to emphasis I am here because of the community foremost. I just think YC has potenial and I am thinking about other people's needs as well as my own.

I just don't want Chopin to waste his money - I agree that the community that cares have voted but 21 people might not be a good cross section of the YC community. I just don't want to tempt fate that we get the site we want and like but everyone else hates it. I'd rather us been a majority with a larger section of the community.

I think the current problem we have and this is not breaking news is that not enough members are commenting in these threads. To date only 21 people have voted on this thread - YC's staff is 40 and we know that not all 21 voters are staff so the lack of responses is uniform. I would think that the staff at least would want, if not required, to vote on the improvements to the site they have the job of being big brother over. Maybe those that are commenting on these threads could discuss ways of getting the rest to follow suit - even if its just voting.

I would say a big part of it would be dependent on the person. I would approach the teaching of someone who listens to a lot of classical music differently to a person that listens to rock and roll. My opinion as a first step would be establish what kind of music they listen to on a regular basis. If then, for example, they say they listen to a lot of music featured in games - i.e themes from Final Fantasy then I would think that starting off with looking at examples of sheet music from Final Fantasy would be a good place to start. It might not be the best music out there but its would be starting the person off with music they like and help put what they are learning into context with something they know a little about already because they already listen to it. This would need to be supplemented with study in other areas but using music they like as a starting block would engage the student more in what they are learning.

Ditto Tokke, when? Could you at least change it with your Admin powers? :ermm: Pretty please?

:blink: I have upload the new avatar - it appears on the settings (where you change the avatar) yet my old avatar still appears on posts. :facepalm:

I could live your version of this idea. :happy: