tpter1

Here's an easy way to remember: "When it plays C it sounds its key". The techniques you use to get there, wheather numeric, clefs, memorization, or intervallic reading, are based on what works best for you in that situation. For me, I find what Manny suggested for playing C parts on A picc easiest.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

rowuk

If the composer wanted it transposed to A, he would have written parts for that!
In the old days when trumpet players only had transposed parts, they put a crook in their horn and just played.
I learned Eb transposition first by learning to play baritone bass clef (had a girlfriend who played alto sax, gave me an early chance to play duets......). Then came D on the A trumpet as VB described. The Bach cantatas in C never sounded right to me being played on the A Picc. The G (or D) trumpet has more "body" and that seems to blend with the vocal parts better.

__________________
Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

Alex Yates

I understand the clef system, but personally have always transposed intervalically. In more modern pieces and etudes, the entire bass clef add three flats thing never seemed to work for me. My brain seems to be wired to intervals.

Mikey

I also transpose by intervals. I could never grasp the clef (alto, tenor) thing, except I can and do read bass clef.

Manny Laureano

Here's the other bass clef transposition just to stir everyone's coffee

For those that prefer using Bb piccolo for D trumpet parts, just read bass clef and add four sharps. So, if you're playing the D trumpet version of the Messiah, it's just bass clef, add four sharps to put you in the of E major (D concert but we don't worry about that, stick with the E major).

It's also what I use for regular D trumpet when I'm playing the Bb trumpet or for E trumpet when I'm using the C. So, bottom line, up a major third is bass clef and four sharps for me.

Next time well talk about C trumpet reading an A cornet part and soprano clef! Woohoo!

ML

tpter1

Ok...that makes all the sense in th world. As interested as I am to see how you do A trumpet parts (Fireworks!), I'd also like to know how you read E trumpet on a Bb. (Eeew...that's always been particularly horrid for me). I end up thinking in tritones. As you can see from that, I get lots of wrong notes.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

trumpetmike

I guess the answer of "lots of hours spent practising" isn't the answer that is going to be popular

Manny Laureano

Yeah, true, but with a good method we can be more efficient about what we practice.

Glenn, for E trumpet all that's involved is being good at Eb and F trumpet.

Eb is up a fourth in one flat right?

F is up a fifth in one sharp.

Okay... when a student gets good at those you introduce him to E. Why? Because E trumpet is either:

up a fifth in six flat (F trumpet with 6 flats) or
up a fourth in six sharps (Eb trumpet in 6 sharps).

E trumpet transposition becomes no harder than F and Eb transposition once you know those two transpositions (Eb and F). I'm totally serious. You can go to any of the Sacshe studies in sharps or flats and once you do the math it's a breeze, no lie.

So, yeah, Tmike, you have to practice. But there's practice and then there's banging your head against a wall. Whatever works, of course, but why not have a method?

ML

trumpetmike

I wish someone had told me all this stuff when I was younger - it might have saved a few holes in the wall

Manny Laureano

Well, here's the truth, Tmike... I didn't learn any of this stuff until I studied with Vacchiano and I had terrible trouble with it. Broiles was the guy who ultimately got my head on staright and spoke my language so that I could really get what Vacchiano was saying, it was that foreign to me. So, there you go.