transposing chords

[le-gasp]

Hi,

so ive been thinking of tunes i want to transcribe so i can play with my friends and i thought of st. thomas by sonny rollins

i found the chords for tenor sax and tenor sax solo on lucas pickford.com

i know that tenor sax is a Bb instrument, but i still find the concept of transposing extremely confusing

do i need to transpose at all for chords and for tenor sax what do i trasnpose it to specifically (ex. B7)

Thanks,
Jake

 

[Febs]

To transpose a chart written for tenor sax to a C instrument like bass, you need to transpose the chords down 1 step. So, for example, the chart that you have probably has the sax starting on a D Major chord. Transpose that to a C Major chord for bass.

 

[le-gasp]

thank you

 

[warnergt]

To transpose a chart written for tenor sax to a C instrument like bass, you need to transpose the chords down 1 step. So, for example, the chart that you have probably has the sax starting on a D Major chord. Transpose that to a C Major chord for bass.

I'm confused now. Doesn't he want to go up 1 step to take Bb to C?

 

[dlloyd]

I'm confused now. Doesn't he want to go up 1 step to take Bb to C?

If you play a C on a Bb instrument, it sounds like Bb.

So if the saxophonist plays a C major chord, he's actually playing a Bb major chord, so we need to transpose down a whole tone to match him.

 

[J-B'ass]

To play tenor sax music on a C instrument (such as a bass guitar) you'd need to transpose all the notes and chords from the tenor sax music up a whole tone, so a B7 chord for tenor sax would be a Db7 for bass guitar.

 

[Pacman]

If you play a C on a Bb instrument, it sounds like Bb.

So if the saxophonist plays a C major chord, he's actually playing a Bb major chord, so we need to transpose down a whole tone to match him.

Because Bb is a step below C, if a tenor plays a Bb arpeggio it will sound as an Ab arpeggio. Transpose the chart a step up.

 

[dlloyd]

Because Bb is a step below C, if a tenor plays a Bb arpeggio it will sound as an Ab arpeggio. Transpose the chart a step up.

Uh, I think one of us is confused...

The saxophonist is reading and playing a C major chord... the sound he actually makes is a Bb major chord.

What are you going to do to play the same chord as him? Play a whole step below the C (Bb) or a whole step above the C (D)?

Edit: I'm reading the original post as meaning he's found music for the tenor sax and wants to play it on the bass.

 

[Pacman]

i found the chords for tenor sax and tenor sax solo on lucas pickford.com

If you've got a tenor chart, and want to play it with him, transpose up a step.

 

[Pacman]

Edit: I'm reading the original post as meaning he's found music for the tenor sax and wants to play it on the bass.

Right, so the music is one step below sounding pitch. Transpose up.

 

[dlloyd]

If you've got a tenor chart, and want to play it with him, transpose up a step.

So what chords would you play if the sax chart says:

Dm G7 C

 

[DaBassman]

A real simple and free transposing tool you can print is right here:http://www.tikiking.com/tools.html

 

[dlloyd]

This is slightly easier...

If a Bb instrument (tenor sax) is playing a G, C instruments should play an F, and so on.

 

[warnergt]

I see what you're saying. I've asked my Bb trumpet-playing friends what note they're really playing when the music says play a 'C'. I've received various answers. I never could quite get a straight answer. One told me there are two types of musical scores for trumpets -- perhaps one where 'C' means 'Bb' and one where 'C' means 'C'.

So what you're saying is that, when the score says play 'C', the trumpet actually plays Bb. In that case, other instruments would have to play down 1 step to match.

I do know the bass music for many tunes with horns (e.g. Earth, Wind and Fire) is in the key of Bb. So what you say makes sense.

 

[Basseroni]

This is slightly easier...

If a Bb instrument (tenor sax) is playing a G, C instruments should play an F, and so on.

I see what your saying and it makes sense. However, that chart does not coincide with your statement. It actually confuses things more for me.

 

[dlloyd]

I see what your saying and it makes sense. However, that chart does not coincide with your statement. It actually confuses things more for me.

Look at the top line.

If a Bb instrument is playing what they call an F, the sound it is making is actually an Eb. That's the note a C instrument would have to play to get the same note.

An Eb instrument like an alto sax would have to play what they call a C to get the same note.

 

[dlloyd]

So what you're saying is that, when the score says play 'C', the trumpet actually plays Bb. In that case, other instruments would have to play down 1 step to match.

When a clarinet player on a Bb clarinet is handed a piece of music written for that instrument, when he sees a middle C, he will cover the holes that are stopped by his left hand thumb, first, second and third fingers. He'll think of it as a 'C' as well, but if you go to a piano and find the same note, it is actually a Bb.

I played clarinet and saxophone as a kid and wasn't too bad at it... I played first clarinet in the senior county schools orchestra. I had to carry around two clarinets, one Bb, one A that are used for specific keys. The A clarinet is noticeably bigger than the Bb, as it plays a lower note.

And, if anyone is wondering why the instruments transpose, they're not equally tempered instruments... they sound better in specific keys, and play differently. The Bb clarinet is easier to play than an A clarinet for example.

 

[Febs]

If you've got a tenor chart, and want to play it with him, transpose up a step.

No, you have it backwards. If the tenor sax is reading a concert pitch chart, he will need to transpose up a step. If a concert-pitch instrument is reading a tenor sax chart, he will need to transpose down a step.

So, for example, if the tenor sax chart has the following progression:

D | B7 | Emin7 A7 | D

then the bass player reading the tenor sax chart should play:

C | A7 | Dmin7 G7 | C

 

[Pacman]

You're right. I'm jacked up...

 

[le-gasp]

ok so if i were to play with an alto sax player, would i have to change the chords i play

my friend who plays alto sax showed me his chord chart, in relation to tenor sax it was a step down