Re: change of plans for this final project

[Wim van Dommelen]

Hi Sarah,

1. If you write \key g \major and present this score to a clarinettist  
-- playing on a B-flat clarinet -- the piece will sound as \key f  
\major.

2. If you write \key g \major and present this score to a horn player  
-- playing a horn in F -- the piece will sound as \key c \major.

3. When in doubth I use the little mnemonic trick I learned on the  
basic school: When you play a (written) C on a B-flat clarinet it  
sounds like a B-flat on the piano (which is in concert-pitch, one  
whole note lower), so when you want to play the sound a piano produces  
when playing the C you have to adjust the same amount on your  
clarinet, one whole note higher, play a D.

4. So for the horn in F: when you play the G on the horn it sounds as  
a C. The keys go parallel to this.

5. Looking at your example, assuming these notes are shown to  
instrumentalists:
        \key g \major { g fis e d }
                will sound (in your ear) as:    { g fis e d }   on a piano
                will sound (in your ear) as:    { f e d c }             on a 
B-flat clarinet
                will sound (in your ear) as:    { c b a g }             on a F 
horn
                will sound (in your ear) as:    { e dis c bes } on a A clarinet

6. Because instrumentalists are used to a certain notation, you have  
to keep in mind what note you want to sound and transpose the score  
accordingly. For this example I assume you want the notes g fis e d to  
sound, in concert-pitch as if on a piano. For all these instruments  
you transpose like this:

\version "2.16.0"

{
  %piano:
  \clef treble
    \key g \major
    \relative c'' { g fis e d }
  % B-flat clarinet:
  \clef treble
  \transpose bes c' {
    \key g \major
    \relative c'' { g fis e d }
  }
  % F horn:
  \clef bass
  \transpose f c' {
    \key g \major
    \relative c { g fis e d }
  }
  % A clarinet:
  \clef treble
  \transpose a c' {
    \key g \major
    \relative c'' { g fis e d }
  }
}

Note that I put the \key signatures inside the \transpose sections so  
I let Lilypond do that conversion also.

I hope this helps you and doesn't lead to more confusion.

Regards,
Wim.


On 28 Apr 2013, at 21:51 , Sarah k Alawami wrote:

> Ok, so in this case this thing is in g. so if I write something like
>
> \key g \major
> [g fis e d |
> } How would that look transposed to the horn in f? besides the key  
> being a forth higher then what I'm actually hearing. I think. I'm  
> trying to remember my theory classes from years ago lol!