Ok, this may be dumb but I have to learn

[robbie1973]

I see books for E instuments and C instruments etc.
I am trying to learn a bit of theory and every time i do I hear something I know nothing about. Is a bass an E instrument because the first string is an E?
Or a C instrument because that is the Major scale with no flats or sharps??? Or is it something else entirely.

Thanks
Please try not to make fun of my remedial question...

[JimmyStew]

The bass is neither of these, simply because when a bass player plays from music they play the notes at the pitch they are written (actually an octave down, but don't worry about that - when an E is written then a bass player plays an E).

Instruments which have to transpose are referred to as instruments in a particular key - eg an alto sax is an E flat instrument, which means that when the player hits a note that is written as a C what is produced is actually an E flat. Confusing, eh?

Here's what Wikipedia says:

"A transposing instrument is a musical instrument for which written notes are read at a pitch different from concert pitch, which a non-transposing instrument, such as a piano, would play. On a transposing instrument, a concert C is written as a different note; the concert pitch that is played for a written C determines the key that an instrument transposes in. For example, a B flat clarinettist playing a written C would sound a concert B flat."

[robbie1973]

thank you
so i shouldnt purchase any of the books for say E instruments? i simply play any bass cleff

[lazyone2]

There are books written just for bass.

[Jim Campbell]

Originally Posted by robbie1973

thank you
so i shouldnt purchase any of the books for say E instruments? i simply play any bass cleff

if you are going to get serious about reading transposing on the fly is a really great asset......the hardest thing about Eb,Bb,and C treble clef instrument notation is that it has leger lines below what is usually written for bass....piano music for the left hand is also written in bass clef but usually notated lower on the staff than the electric or string bass....

there is a ton of good bass material out there written for bass,and it will usually say as recorded,recorded versions,or note for note on the cover....song books are usually piano/guitar/vocal and the bass portion is piano left hand.....start with a good method,and then find bass notation books to practice as your reading skills develop....trombone music is really good too....best advice around these parts is "find a good teacher"

[kb9wyz]

Not to be too much of a dork, but the bass is a transposing instrument. The music is written one octave above the actual note played, so we don't notice it. Fun fact.

[Stumbo]

You might want to check out the links in my sig. below for great TB info that may help you along the way.

Good luck.

[bigthemat]

Just to help clarify, bass reads as a C instrument, meaning that no transposition is needed (other than octave). If the song calls for a G, and you play a G on the bass, it sounds a G (assuming standard tuning).

The trick to help remember with other instruments is "Play a C, Play the Key." So when a trumpet plays a C, it sounds a Bb, thus, trumpet is a Bb instrument. Alto sax, when playing a C on their instrument, sounds an Eb, hence why alto is an Eb instrument.

Hopefully this helps clarify transpositions a bit. any ?s lemme know. I'm a trumpet player of 14 years and have played orchestrally which involves every transposition imaginable.