piano classes

                                    preliminaries

Preliminaries

Draw five horizontal lines equally spaced. You have a stave.
stave
Draw ellipses over the lines and in the spaces. The higher the ellipse the higher the pitch. Music rises and falls on the page as it does in your ear.
melody

Clef

Which instrument would you choose to play these notes? High pitched instruments and voices use treble clef. Low pitched instruments and voices use bass clef.
The clef is an ornamental symbol drawn far left of the stave.
Treble Clef
Bass Clef
You may meet many clefs in your travels. Let us introduce two more.
When you write for viola and alto voices you use alto clef. In classical music the alto clef is also used by trombone.
Alto Clef
When you write for tenor voices you use tenor clef. Cello, bassoon and trombone use tenor clef occasionally.
Tenor clef

The Grand Stave

Though we know the stave as five horizontal lines it originated as eleven. The 11 line stave is called the grand stave.
Pitch ascends through the lines and spaces of the grand stave.
the grand stave
Our five line stave is easier to read than the grand stave. But to reduce our stave to five lines we need to know which five lines we are referring to. For that we use a clef.
  • The top five lines = the treble.
  • The bottom five lines = the bass clef.
  • The middle five lines = the alto clef.
  • The tenor clef stave is one line down from the alto clef stave.
It is comforting to see how closely the staves are related.

A B C D E F G

We name the ascensions of pitch with the first 7 letters of the alphabet, A B C D E F G. The alphabet ascends smoothly through the lines and spaces of the grand stave. We repeat the names at each eighth ascension.
A B C D E F G A
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
The easy ascension on the grand stave doesn't look so easy on the 5 line staves. The middle line is B on the treble clef, D on the bass clef, C on the alto clef and A on the tenor clef.
image of the clefs
I often find it helpful to think of the grand stave. The top two lines of the alto clef are the bottom two lines of the treble clef. The bottom two lines of the alto clef are the top two lines of the bass clef.
The tenor clef is a line under the alto clef. The top of the tenor clef is the bottom of the treble clef. The middle of the tenor clef is the top of the bass clef. The bottom of the tenor clef is the middle of the bass clef.

Alternative names for the clefs

Here is another way to remember the clefs and the names of the notes on the stave. This method will suit you if you think in pictures. Look to the pivotal point of the clef symbol.
The treble clef symbol winds round G above Middle C. The bass clef symbol curls round F below Middle C. The alto and tenor clef symbols mirror through Middle C.
  • The treble clef is a G clef.
  • The bass clef is an F clef.
  • The alto and tenor clefs are C clefs.
clefs 


Scaling the heights

Soprano instruments lend themselves to melody, light harmony and colour. Tenor instruments too play melody. Bass sometimes plays melody.
It takes a skillful arranger to write an effective and appropriate bass melody. Bass is the band's tonal foundation. If an inappropriate move is made the building comes tumbling down.
To study bass we must be able to talk about it in quantifiable terms. Bass C is an octave under Middle C. Pedal C is an octave under Bass C. Bass notes are between Bass C and Pedal C. Pedal notes are all notes under Pedal C.
We must also talk about very high notes in quantifiable terms. The higher the note the thinner it is. Above the treble clef notes noticeably thin out. Very thin notes are used for colour and effect, rarely melody.
Some instruments play as high as C above the treble clef (Top C). Very few instruments play as high as C above Top C (double top C). Notes between top C and double top C are top notes. Notes above double top C are double top notes.
>>> rising pitch
MIDI MIDI MIDI MIDI MIDI MIDI MIDI
pedal notes bass notes below
Middle C		 Middle C above
Middle C		 top notes double
top notes
DEFGABC DEFGABC DEFGAB C DEFGAB CDEFGAB CDEFGAB CDEFGAB
---XXXX XXXXX- -XXXXX XXXX---
Bass Clef Treble Clef

range in pitch on the stave
MIDI

Tones and Semitones

Now you understand pitch on a grand orchestral scale. We turn to the smallest intervals in western music the tones and semitones.
The letters of the alphabet are separated by tones and semitones.
E to F is a semitone. Twice a semitone is a tone.
F to G is a tone. The alphabet is not equidistant.
F to G is twice the distance of E to F.
Tone Tone Semitone Tone Tone Tone Semitone
C 1 D 1 E ½ F 1 G 1 A 1 B ½ C

















































































Enharmony

The ability to write the same pitch in many ways is called enharmony. F# and Gb are enharmonic.

Accidentals

A letter is natural, sharp or flat.
The letter is natural unless otherwise indicated.
Ab (flat) is a semitone lower than A natural.
A# (sharp) is a semitone higher than A natural.
flat natural sharp
Flat Natural Sharp
Ab A A#
A word of caution. In text the accidental follows the letter, as in Ab and A#. On the stave the accidental precedes the note head.
image of accidentals and stave

Watch your step!

C# is Db. E# is not Fb.
Remember, C to D is a tone and E to F is a semitone.
While C# is Db, E# is F and Fb is E. Beginners and advanced students often trip-up on this fact.
Gb G G#
Fb F F# Ab A A#
Cb C C# Eb E E# Bb B B#
Db D D# Cb C C#
½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½
Draw the keyboard for the pattern.
C#
Db

D#
Eb

F#
Gb

G#
Ab

A#
Bb


C
B#

D E
Fb 		F
E# 		G A B
Cb

Double flats and double sharps

Double flats and double sharps are accidentals for special occasions. A double flat is a semitone lower than flat. A double sharp is a semitone higher than sharp.
double flat flat natural sharp double sharp
double flat flat natural sharp double sharp
The complete set of accidentals and their enharmonic equivalents follows.
Bx
C#
Db 		D#
Eb
Fbb 		Ex
F#
Gb 		G#
Ab 		A#
Bb
Cbb
B#
C
Dbb 		Cx
D
Ebb 		Dx
E
Fb 		E#
F
Gbb 		Fx
G
Abb 		Gx
A
Bbb 		Ax
B
Cb







 

Diatonic scales

The diatonic scale is a formula.
tone tone semitone
tone
tone tone semitone
(T T S T T T S)
MIDI
We write it with the letters of the alphabet and sharps and flats. The diatonic scale of D is D E F# G A B C# D.
D D#
Eb		 E
Fb		 F
E#		 F#
Gb		 G G#
Ab		 A A#
Bb		 B
Cb		 C
B#		 C#
Db		 D
D E F# G A B C# D
T T S T T T S
Pick a letter from A to G, accidental natural, sharp or flat. Follow through with the natural letters of the alphabet.
A B C D E F G A
T S T T S T T
The pattern of tones and semitones from A to A is TSTTSTT. This is not TTSTTTS. It is not a diatonic scale.
We use accidentals to make a diatonic scale.
  1. The first interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the first note (A).
    • A to B is T.
    • B is the second note of the diatonic scale.

  2. The second interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the second note (B).
    • B to C is S.
    • B to C# is T.
    • The third note of the diatonic scale is C#.

  3. The third interval of the diatonic scale is S.
    • Start with the third note (C#).
    • C# to D is S.
    • The fourth note is D.

  4. The fourth interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the fourth note (D).
    • D to E is T.
    • The fifth note is E.

  5. The fifth interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the fifth note (E).
    • E to F is S.
    • E to F# is T.
    • The sixth note is F#.

  6. The sixth interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the sixth note (F#).
    • F# to G is S.
    • F# to G# is T.
    • The seventh note is G#.

  7. The seventh interval of the diatonic scale is S.
    • Start with the seventh note (G#).
    • G# to A is S.
    • The eighth note is A, the same as the first.
The diatonic scale of A is:
A B C# D E F# G# A
T T S T T T S

How to work magic

Can a diatonic scale be written to D# ?
No.
D#
Eb 		E
Fb		 F
E# 		F#
Gb 		G G#
Ab 		A A#
Bb		 B
Cb 		C
B#		 C#
Db 		D D#
Eb
D# E#  G G# A# B#X D D#
Why not?
What is wrong with D# E# G G# A# B# D D#.
Answer: C is missing and G is repeated.
Every letter must be present in a diatonic scale.
What can we do?
We can introduce double sharps and double flats. Fx is G and Cx is D.
This is also wrong D# E# Fx G# A# B# Cx D#
Double sharps and double flats are banned from diatonic scales.
What can we do?
Rename each note to its enharmonic.
Now we have a diatonic scale.
Eb F G AB Bb C D Eb
Every key on the keyboard can be written to a diatonic scale, but not every note name. When the first name you try doesn’t work, switch to its enharmonic. It’s enharmonic will work.
C#
dB 		D#
Eb 		F#
GB 		G#
AB 		A#
Bb
C
B# 		D E
Fb 		F
E# 		G A B
CB

The 15 diatonic scales

The 15 diatonic scales are: C D E F G A B
C# Cb Db Eb F# Gb Ab Bb
They are not: D# E# Fb G# A# B#
All three variations of C (C natural, C flat and C sharp) can be written to a diatonic scale. For every other letter, two variations can be written.
Browse the diatonic scales. Some have sharps. Some have flats. None have both sharps and flats.
C  D  E  F  G  A  B  C
D  E  F# G  A  B  C# D
E  F# G# A  B  C# D# E
F  G  A  Bb C  D  E  F
G  A  B  C  D  E  F# G
A  B  C# D  E  F# G# A
B  C# D# E  F# G# A# B     
C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C# 
Db Eb F  Gb Ab Bb C  Db 
Eb F  G  Ab Bb C  D  Eb 
F# G# A# B  C# D# E# F# 
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F  Gb 
Ab Bb C  Db Eb F  G  Ab 
Bb C  D  Eb F  G  A  Bb
Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb

Scales with sharps

There are 7 diatonic scales with sharps.
D'scale
G: G A B C D E F# G
D: D E F# G A B C# D
A: A B C# D E F# G# A
E: E F# G# A B C# D# E
B: B C# D# E F# G# A# B
F#: F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
C#: C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#
A unique number of sharps can be counted to each diatonic scale.
D’scale G D A E B F# C#
#‘s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Scales with flats

There are 7 diatonic scales with flats.
D'scale
F: F G A Bb C D E F
Bb: Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
Eb: Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
Ab: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
Db: Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
Gb: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
Cb: Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb
A unique number of flats can be counted to each diatonic scale.
D’scale F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb
b‘s 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The magic number 7

There is one sharp in the diatonic scale of G. There are six flats in the diatonic scale of Gb. The number of sharps in G and flats in Gb adds to 7.
An easy way to remember your diatonic scales is by deduction. For each letter, the number of sharps and flats adds to seven.
#‘s 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
D’scale C G D A E B F# C#
D’scale Cb Gb Db Ab Eb Bb F C
b‘s 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Flat to natural to sharp

In the diatonic scale of G the only note to be sharp is F#. In the diatonic scale of Gb the only note to be natural is F.
G: G A B C D E F# G
Gb: Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb
This makes sense. Deduce Gb by lowering the notes in G a semitone. Now raise the notes in G a semitone. Natural notes change to sharp, sharp notes change to double sharp. That is why G# does not exist as a diatonic scale.
G#: G# A# B# C# D# E# Fx G#
C, C# and Cb all exist as diatonic scales. C is made of all natural notes. Natural notes can be raised a semitone without resorting to double sharps and lowered a semitone without resorting to double flats.

Patterns in the sharp notes

F# is very common.
Every diatonic scale with a sharp in it has an F# in it.
B# is rare.
C# is the only diatonic scale with B# in it.
D’scale #‘s
G: F#
D: F# C#
A: F# C# G#
E: F# C# G# D#
B: F# C# G# D# A#
F#: F# C# G# D# A# E#
C#: F# C# G# D# A# E# B#
Sharp notes enter in order through the diatonic scales. The note F# is in every diatonic scale with a sharp note. C# is in every diatonic scale with two or more sharps. G# is in every diatonic scale with three or more sharps. D# is in every diatonic scale with four or more sharps. A# is in every diatonic scale with five or more sharps. E# is in every diatonic scale with six or more sharps. B# is in only one diatonic scale, the diatonic scale of seven sharps.

Patterns in the flat notes

Flat notes also follow a pattern, the direct mirror of the order of entry of sharp notes. Bb is as common as F#. Fb is as rare as B#.
D’Scale b‘s
F: Bb
Bb: Eb Bb
Eb: Ab Eb Bb
Ab: Db Ab Eb Bb
Db: Gb Db Ab Eb Bb
Gb: Cb Gb Db Ab Eb Bb
Cb: Fb Cb Gb Db Ab Eb Bb

Remember

>>> Enter sharp notes
F C G D A E B
Enter flat notes <<

Diatonic intervals

Assign a number to each note of the diatonic scale. Begin on 1. End on 8.
C D E F G A B C
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Diatonic 4ths and 5ths

The diatonic 4th of C is F. The diatonic 5th of C is G. As you will see, memorising the diatonic 4ths and 5ths is all you need to do to memorise the diatonic scales.
And it is even simpler than that. Memorise the ascending sequence of alphabetic 5ths: FCGDAEB. Reverse this sequence and you have the ascending sequence of alphabetic 4ths: BEADGCF.
There is one flat in the diatonic scale of F.
F G A Bb C D E F
The 5th of F is C. There are no flats in the diatonic scale of C.
C D E F G A B C
The 5th of C is G. There is one sharp in the diatonic scale of G.
G A B C D E F# G
The 5th of G is D. There are two sharps in the diatonic scale of D.
D E F# G A B C# D
The entire pattern is in the diagram. Remember FCGDAEB. The diatonic scale of C has no sharps or flats, the diatonic scale of F has one flat, the diatonic scale of Bb has two flats, the diatonic scale of G has one sharp, the diatonic scale of D has two sharps. The first sharp is F#, the second sharp is C#, the third sharp is G#, the first flat is Bb, the second flat is Eb, the third flat is Ab.
>>> diatonic 5ths
diatonic 4ths <<<
Cb Gb Db Ab Eb Bb F C G D A E B F# C#
7 6 5 4 3 2 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
number of flat notes
in the diatonic scale		 number of sharp notes
in the diatonic scale
| |
>> order of entry of sharp notes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
F# C# G# D# A# E# B#
Fb Cb Gb Db Ab Eb Bb
7 6 5 4 3 2 1
order of entry of flat notes <<

Stepping through the closeness of the diatonic 4ths and 5ths

The diatonic scales of F and C are very close.
F is the diatonic 4th of C. One note in F is a semitone lower to what it is in C.
C D E F G A B C
F G A Bb C D E F
The diatonic 5th of C is G. One note in the diatonic scale of G is a semitone higher than what it is in C.
C D E F G A B C
G A B C D E F# G
Step through the diatonic scales. The diatonic 4ths and 5ths are very close.
G A B C D E F# G
C D E F G A B C
F G A Bb C D E F

Step down the diatonic 4ths, up the diatonic 5ths

C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#
F# G# A# B C# D# E# F#
B C# D# E F# G# A# B
E F# G# A B C# D# E
A B C# D E F# G# A
D E F# G A B C# D
G A B C D E F# G
C D E F G A B C

C D E F G A B C
F G A Bb C D E F
Bb C D Eb F G A Bb
Eb F G Ab Bb C D Eb
A Bb C Db Eb F G Ab
Db Eb F Gb Ab Bb C Db
Gb Ab Bb Cb Db Eb F Gb

How to make a diatonic scale

Pick a letter from A to G, accidental natural, sharp or flat. Follow through with the natural letters of the alphabet.
A B C D E F G A
T S T T S T T
The pattern of tones and semitones from A to A is TSTTSTT. This is not TTSTTTS. It is not a diatonic scale.
We use accidentals to make a diatonic scale.
  1. The first interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the first note (A).
    • A to B is T.
    • B is the second note of the diatonic scale.

  2. The second interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the second note (B).
    • B to C is S.
    • B to C# is T.
    • The third note of the diatonic scale is C#.

  3. The third interval of the diatonic scale is S.
    • Start with the third note (C#).
    • C# to D is S.
    • The fourth note is D.

  4. The fourth interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the fourth note (D).
    • D to E is T.
    • The fifth note is E.

  5. The fifth interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the fifth note (E).
    • E to F is S.
    • E to F# is T.
    • The sixth note is F#.

  6. The sixth interval of the diatonic scale is T.
    • Start with the sixth note (F#).
    • F# to G is S.
    • F# to G# is T.
    • The seventh note is G#.

  7. The seventh interval of the diatonic scale is S.
    • Start with the seventh note (G#).
    • G# to A is S.
    • The eighth note is A, the same as the first.
The diatonic scale of A is:
A B C# D E F# G# A
T T S T T T S

How to work magic

Can a diatonic scale be written to D# ?
No.
D#
Eb 		E
Fb		 F
E# 		F#
Gb 		G G#
Ab 		A A#
Bb		 B
Cb 		C
B#		 C#
Db 		D D#
Eb
D# E#  G G# A# B#X D D#
Why not?
What is wrong with D# E# G G# A# B# D D#.
Answer: C is missing and G is repeated.
Every letter must be present in a diatonic scale.
What can we do?
We can introduce double sharps and double flats. Fx is G and Cx is D.
This is also wrong D# E# Fx G# A# B# Cx D#
Double sharps and double flats are banned from diatonic scales.
What can we do?
Rename each note to its enharmonic.
Now we have a diatonic scale.
Eb F G AB Bb C D Eb
Every key on the keyboard can be written to a diatonic scale, but not every note name. When the first name you try doesn’t work, switch to its enharmonic. It’s enharmonic will work.
C#
dB 		D#
Eb 		F#
GB 		G#
AB 		A#
Bb
C
B# 		D E
Fb 		F
E# 		G A B
CB 

15 key signatures to 15 diatonic scales

We know the 15 diatonic scales.
Each has a key signature.
G has one sharp in its diatonic scale and the same sharp in its key signature.
The diatonic scales are matched to their key signatures below.
Sharp notes enter in order F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#. You remember this sequence from the diatonic scales. Flats enter in mirror order Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb.

Know the C# and Cb key signatures and you know all key signatures.

C# is the key signature of 7 sharps.
Cover the right most sharp.
You now have the key signature of F# (6 sharps).
Cover two sharps to the right.
You now have the key signature of B (5 sharps).
Now start with a clean stave (no key signature). A sharp on F# is the key signature of G. Another sharp over C# changes the key signature to D. Keep adding sharps in this sequence to change the key signature.
Key signatures are building blocks to each other.

You must be able to recognise and write every key signature in every clef.

Flat key signatures change height but otherwise stay constant through all clefs. They change height to match the names of the notes. Bb is middle line of the treble clef and second space up on the alto clef.
Sharp key signatures similarly change height through the treble, bass and alto clefs. On the tenor clef the standard pattern won't fit. The pattern is mirrored so all sharps in the pattern can fit on the clef. 

Accidentals, the principal name

Now we know our diatonic scales and we know our key signatures. We are ready to believe that F# is more common than Gb. The more common a name the more familiar it is to us. The common name is the principal name.
Recall how 9 of our 12 notes have two names.
C#
Db 		D#
Eb 		F#
Gb 		G#
Ab 		A#
Bb
C
B# 		D E
Fb 		F
E# 		G A B
Cb
Well let us do some detective work. How many key signatures is F# in? 7. How many key signatures is Gb in? 3. F# is the principal name of the F# / Gb enharmonic pair.
Enharmonic names The enharmonic name that appears in the greater number of key signatures is the principal name Principal name
B# C B# is in 1 key signature C is in 7 key signatures C
C# Db C# is in 6 key signatures Db is in 4 key signatures C#
D D
D# Eb D# is in 4 key signatures Eb is in 6 key signatures Eb
E Fb E is in 7 key signatures Fb is in 1 key signature E
F E# F is in 7 key signatures E# is in 2 key signatures F
F# Gb F# is in 7 key signatures Gb is in 3 key signatures F#
G G
G# Ab G# is in 5 key signatures Ab is in 5 key signatures Ab
A A
A# Bb A# is in 3 key signatures Bb is in 7 key signatures Bb
B Cb B is in 7 key signatures Cb is in 2 key signatures B


C#

 Eb F# Ab Bb

C

 D E F G A B

The best accidental

Should I write F# or Gb? It depends on the context. Here are some guidelines.

In a melody

stick to the key signature where you can. Accidentals should deviate no more than a semitone from the key signature. If F# is in the key signature you can write Fx (double sharp) or F (natural) but not Fb.
Have a good excuse ready before you write a double flat or double sharp. G is almost always preferable to Fx. Use Fx in preference to G only when G# is prevalent in the melody, or you have some other good excuse.
Lean towards principal note names. Rare names like B# and Fb should be used only when there are four or more sharps (for B#) or four or more flats (for Fb) in the key signature.

In a chromatic run

run up in sharps and down in flats.

In a scale

write your accidentals so the musician recognises the scale.

In a chord

write the chord so the player will recognise it.
Give chords to players that use chords (guitarists, pianists and soloists). Don't worry instrumentalists with chords if they won't be needing them.
Guitarists and pianists map their physical position to the chord. When they recognise the chord they relax to it. Give them the chord and you give them the freedom to improvise (unless “Strict” is written or implied).

Key, colour and orchestration

I asked a pianist to play C. I asked an alto saxophonist to play C. They played different notes.
Why?
The piano is pitched to C. The alto saxophone is pitched to Eb.
Why?
An orchestra with instruments pitched in different keys provides more opportunities for colour in the orchestration.
So how do we define C? C is the easiest key for any instrument to play in. C# and Cb are the most difficult. The more sharps or flats in the key signature the more difficult the piece is to play.
NB: When the piano is in the key of E (4 sharps) alto saxophone is in the key of C# (seven sharps) so E is not a good key for a piano and alto saxophone duet.
Let's hear this melody played by a variety of instruments.
MIDI MIDI MIDI
Piano
Concert pitch		 Eb Alto saxophone
a diatonic 6th lower		 Bb Trumpet
a tone lower
An absolute identifier of pitch is Concert Pitch. At the instruction to play “Concert C” all instruments play the same sound. 

The score

The score is read by the conductor. All notes played by all instruments are in the score.
Let's illustrate with Joe Paparone's arrangement of The Barber of Seville Overture.
Time reads from left to right.

Concert Score

MIDI“The Barber of Seville Overture” by Rossini
Arranged by Joe Paparone 1998
Concert Score excerpt
MIDI
MIDI
MIDI
This is a concert score.
The key signature is the same for each instrument.

Transposed Score

Each instrument is written to its key.
  • Trombones are in the key of E.
  • Trumpets in the key of F#.
  • French Horns are in the key of B.
There is no difference in sound between the concert and transposed scores. In the concert score the focus is on concert pitch, the universal sound. In the transposed score the focus is on the language of the player, the parts are written as the player reads them.
“The Barber of Seville Overture” by Rossini
Arranged by Joe Paparone 1998
Transposed Score excerpt

Woodwind instruments

MIDI“The Barber of Seville Overture” by Rossini
Arranged by Joe Paparone 1998
Concert Score excerpt


MIDI

MIDI

MIDI
Many woodwind instruments are transposing.
Bb clarinet is transposed up a tone.
You must be careful of the clef. Clarinetists read treble clef. It is bad form to give them music in any other clef. So Bb bass clarinet is transposed up a tone for the key and an octave for the clef.
“The Barber of Seville Overture” by Rossini
Arranged by Joe Paparone 1998
Transposed Score excerpt

Strings

The string instruments in this syllabus are non transposing: harp, violin, viola, cello and double bass. Concert and transposed scores for these string instruments are the same.
Contrabass (double bass) is a special case. Contrabass is a deep instrument, so deep its best sounding range is well under the bass clef. We write contrabass an octave higher than it sounds so it may be read comfortably on the bass clef. When contrabass and celli read the same note they sound an octave apart. Have a listen to the MIDI files.
MIDI“The Barber of Seville Overture” by Rossini
Arranged by Joe Paparone 1998
Concert / Transposed Score excerpt

MIDI

MIDI

MIDI

MIDI

An octave higher or lower than written

Following is the piano keyboard and its relation to the treble and bass clefs. It is easy to see from this diagram how many notes at the heights and depths of music are not covered by the clefs.
Some instruments are naturally very high or very low. The glockenspiel pitch is much higher than the treble clef. It is written on the treble clef, two octaves under its actual sound. Electric bass and contrabass are deeper than the bass clef. They are written an octave higher than they sound.
You may like to browse our Musical Instruments Reference.

Hybrid Concert / Transposed score

This appears to be a concert score. Looks can be deceptive.
French horn is written in the concert key signature but not in the concert key. In this score French horn notes are transposed a diatonic 5th higher than concert without changing the key signature.
For now the tasks involved in understanding a score may seem incredibly complex, but in time you will get a feel for the instrument's keys and pitch.
Being able to tell whether notes are concert or transposed, irregardless of the key signature, is something you will pick up as you learn about chords, progressions and other music theory fundamentals. 

Transposition

These instruments play in a different key to the piano. They are transposing instruments.
  • Bb trumpet
  • French horn (F)
  • Alto saxophone (Eb)
  • Tenor saxophone (Bb)
  • Cor anglais (F)
  • Bb clarinet
Before you can write for a transposing instrument you need to know
  • its key
  • any octave shifts in the transposition
  • the clef the player is expected to read.
You can look this information up in the Musical Instruments Reference. You can read more about transposition underneath.

Transposition, a simple example

Bb Trumpet part Concert pitch
Excerpt from Figlio Del Capo, arranged and composed by Joe Paparone
Bb trumpet transposes a tone above concert.
  1. Transpose the key signature a tone above concert.
    Eb concert transposes up to F.

  2. Transpose each note up a tone.
    C concert transposes up to D.
    D concert transposes up to E.
    Eb concert transposes up to F.
As an aid, write the diatonic scale of the concert key above the diatonic scale of the transposed key. The top row of notes transposes to the bottom row.
Concert key Eb F G A Bb C D Eb
Transposes up to F G A Bb C D E F

Bb trumpet part transposed

Transposition, a more complex example

What happens when some notes deviate from the key signature?
Bb Trumpet part Concert
Excerpt from Figlio Del Capo, arranged and composed by Joe Paparone
Write the diatonic scale of the concert key above the diatonic scale of the transposed key.
Concert key Eb F G A Bb C D Eb
Transposes up to F G A Bb C D E F
Each note transposes up a tone. B natural is not in the diatonic scale of the concert key. B natural transposes up a tone to C#.
Tip: If a note is altered from the key signature in the concert key it will also be altered from the key signature in the transposed key.
Bb trumpet part transposed

Transposition for a baritone saxophone

The baritone saxophone is scored in bass clef. It is transposed up a diatonic 13th (diatonic 6th and an octave) to the treble clef.
Eb Baritone saxophone part concert
Excerpt from Giacca di Feru composed and arranged by Joe Paparone
The concert key is C. It transposes a diatonic sixth up to A.
Concert key C D E F G A B C
Transposes up to A B C# D E F# G# A
Remember to write it an octave higher ...
... and put it in treble clef. Transposition is complete.

Good keys / Bad keys

Transposing instruments give us more scope for colour in the orchestration.
Some keys don't get much colour out of the orchestra.
On every instrument C is the easiest key to play in. The more sharps and flats in the key the more difficult the piece is to play.
Some keys are just plain difficult to play in.
  • The best keys are: Eb, Bb and F concert.
  • Secondary keys are: G, C and D concert.
  • Notably bad keys are: A and E concert.
A and E concert are strange keys to the orchestra. Colourful pedal notes allude you when you use these keys. The keys are also out of favour with transposing instruments. E concert transposes Eb instruments to six sharps and Bb instruments to seven sharps. Just a semitone higher than E, Eb concert is a wonderful key for colour, transposes Eb instruments to C and Bb instruments to F.
Avoid keys that put instruments playing sharps alongside instruments playing flats. In this syllabus we talk of F# and Gb as the same note. This is true for tempered instruments like the piano. For instruments in the violin and brass families where the note is felt for, F# and Gb are subtly different.
Concert Key C G D A E B F# C#
Transposing instruments Bb
Eb
F
G		 D
A
G
F		 A
E
D
C 		E
B
A
G 		B
F#
E
D 		F#
C#
B
A 		C#
Ab
F#
E 		Ab
Eb
C#
B 		Eb
Bb
Ab
F#
Good or Bad ?

Concert Key C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb
Transposing instruments Bb
Eb
F
G		 D
A
G
F		 G
D
C
Bb 		C
G
F
Eb 		F
C
Bb
Ab 		Bb
F
Eb
Db 		Eb
Bb
Ab
Gb 		Ab
Eb
Db
Cb 		Db
Ab
Gb
E
Good or Bad ?

Cb Db Eb Fb Gb Ab Bb Cb


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