I've babbled on several times today, and failed to ask the question that I originally had planned . But the forum is so interesting that you can get caught up in it and be distracted.

I studied Simandl books (1,2, Etudes) early on, then Nanny 1,2, and both served as good background in the early years.

However, what seems to have been lacking was a good book of studies for tenor cleff in DB language. Now I am curious if I can find same without having to turn to the cello literature. Has anyone written a good series in tenor cleff? There's little more frustrating than playing along some chamber piece and all of a sudden having to switch quickly to tenor. It should be automatic, but I find it isn't. Too many years have elapsed since I was in music school and was reasonably fluent in it.

Thanks in advance.

Matt M

Hello matt macgown, i play tenor clef, its one 'f' in clef by the way! :) When i moved into my advance studies with the trombone i found a simple and pleseant introduction the tenor clef was a book called 'Introducing the tenor Clef for trombone(bassoon)' by Reginald H.Fink (Accura Music) Check it out @ www.hickeys.com regard A K.

Thanks much, I will check that.

Searched on google and found this:
http://www.drdowningmusic.com/Tenor-Clef.html

There are some sample pages on the site. Doesn't seem to hard, just gotta get with the new positions for each note.

Again, thanks. This also looks like something I will buy. Though bass players don't often run into tenor cleff, there are invariably those times.

Blazovich has a nice book on tenor clef studies too.

Do you have "Finale" (or an equivalent)? You could put any of your existsing studies (Simandl etc.) into Finale, and then transpose them into whatever key and on whatever clef you desire…

Just a thought!

- Wil

Do you mean there's softawre for all that?
I'm up to speed on PCs. and ancillaries, so could get it, if so.

Do you have "Finale" (or an equivalent)? You could put any of your existsing studies (Simandl etc.) into Finale, and then transpose them into whatever key and on whatever clef you desire…

Just a thought!

- Wil
Wow, I've been looking at "Finale 2004." Gonna look a little more. Well - I learned Photoshop - after a considerable while. There may be time enough left to learn Finale. The site pops right up on google, instructions and all.

Man... * frustrated * I spent few hours in the practice room trying to transpose up a 5th on the fly... trying to read the damn tenor clef. :=))))) I'll have to get one of them books too...

I think one of the best ways to learn tenor clef is to do some or all of the following:

1. Create flash cards with the note on the staff on one side, and the letter name on the other.
2. Write some random notes on, from three lines below, and to three lines above the staff. Practice reciting the note names until you don't have to think about it. Then turn it over and do the same thing again. Then play the notes on the bass and piano.
3. Write out scales in various keys, all in tenor clef from three lines below the staff to three lines above. Play on bass and piano.
4. Transcribe familiar etudes or excercises into tenor clef. Then sight read them.
5. Work on the koussevitzky conerto which switches freely from bass to tenor to treble clef (seemingly) at random.

I have learned that one of the best ways to learn someting like a new clef is to write it out. Someting about the writing helps get it into your head.

A couple things I did to learn tenor clef: Transpose memorized pieces into tenor clef and then follow along as you play. Transpose tenor clef things you want to learn into bass clef, learn them, then go back to tenor clef. If you do these things enough, you'll pick it up pretty quickly; I think it too me a month or so to get it down once i actually started working on it.

I found that transposing up a fifth helps, it kinda becomes automatic. Also, the Simandl Book 2, has tons of exercises, it's becoming more accessable now.

The Bach gamba sonatas are good exercises. Some movements are all tenor and some switch to bass clef occasionally. One thing I would avoid is conversion schemes. Don't get into the habit of seeing a note and saying "that would be F in bass clef so it must be C in tenor". Just work with it until you can play without thinking.