Re: Fwd: Music Glossary - 1.64 Concert Pitch

[Paul Scott]

On Tue, Jul 06, 2010 at 11:54:29AM +0100, Wols Lists wrote:
>  quote:
> 
> The trombones are a special case: although they are said to be 'in F'
> (alto or bass) or 'in B-flat' (tenor), this refers to their fundamental
> note, not to their parts' transposition. (In fact, the trombones' parts
> are written at concert pitch with an appropriate clef -- alto, tenor or
> bass.) This differs from other instruments 'in F', 'in B-flat', and so
> on, which are transposing instruments.

At least in modern American music this applies to all brass music written 
in bass clef as well as bassoon.  All parts are written as if they were C 
instruments.  If you play a C tuba you use different "valvings" when you see
a note than you do if you are playing a Bb tuba.  Bassoon could also be 
considered 
an F instrument but it's written as if it were a C instrument.

> 
> Okay. Let's try and rewrite both of them:
> 
> Transposing instruments:
> 
> Instruments whose notated pitch is different from their sounded pitch.
> They usually come in families which differ only in their fundamental
> pitch (the base note determined by the length of the instrument from
> mouthpiece to bell). 

This certainly *not* true for woodwinds.  A "C" flute may have a C foot or
a B foot.  An Eb baritone saxophone may go to low Bb or low A,

> Except for those whose notated and sounding pitches
> differ by one or more octaves (to reduce the number of ledger lines
> needed), most such instruments are identified by the letter name of the
> pitch class of their fundamental. This is the note which is written as C
> when music is transposed.
> 
> Trombones are a special case as the bass trombone is never transposed,

Can you explain this?  I realize you are a trombone player but this makes 
no sense to me.