Eb sax pitch vs music

[wendsworth]

HI

I am looking to play some "tunes" with some friends that have a band and the main Techi person is a tad confused over the following - Me I don't really have a clue so all help greatfully received so - :

Could someone please help to explain the following with regards to an Eb saxophone.

I understand that, for example, in order to play a concert pitched C I actually need to play what I consider to be an A. However, that really isn't an A, it's a C.... so when for example, a saxophone tuition book shows me the fingering for a C, along with a written stave showing a C this is actually incorrect isn't it, because the note coming out of the instrument is Eb?

Thanks

Wendy

 

[Linky Lee]

Yes, the saxophone is called a 'transposing instrument' which means music written for saxophone is already transposed.

Therefore if you want to play with someone who plays an instrument that doesn't transpose, like a piano you need to transpose their music for the saxophone.

Similarly saxophones in Bb can't play with saxophones in Eb without transposition either.

It's rather complicated, but once you get the 12 major and minor scales down transposing becomes much much easier.

 

[spike]

Hi Wensday, to expand on linky's post with a little help from wiki - Saxophones are transposing instruments: Sopranino, alto, baritone, and contrabass saxophones are pitched in the key of Eb, - soprano, tenor and bass saxophones are in the key of Bb. Because all instruments use the same key arrangement and fingering to produce a given notated pitch, it is not difficult for a player to switch among the various sizes. When a saxophonist reads and fingers a written C on the staff on an Eb alto, the note sounds as Eb a major sixth below the written pitch. A C played on a Bb tenor, however, sounds as Bb a major ninth below. The Eb baritone is an octave below the alto, and the Bb soprano is an octave above the tenor.
gruss - spike

 

[wendsworth]

Good lord!! how confusing..

As a lowly beginner I think I will leave my friend to puzzle out what either I or they need to play to make it right. He is fighting an uphill battle however as I have not been doing this long and have only done basic C,B,A,G,F,E,D with my teacher + octive key

On my own I've got low C the C# Ab/G# Bb, F# and Eb/D# but not "down pat" and when he transposes it needs me to hit an A & B below low C (don't know if this is even poss) or the D above the octive C......

Got to play with the band on the 10th Aug at a leaving do at work and its looking v. scary!!

 

[Linky Lee]

you can go higher than the octave C, but you can't go any lower than bottom Bb.

It sounds as if the piece is too complicated as it uses extremes of registers that you haven't come across yet.
Get him to pick out some simpler tunes, maybe some well known standards.

Best of luck with the leaving do.

 

[spike]

"A" played without the octave key on your alto sax sounds middle C on the piano keyboard. Try this link it shows the actual range of an alto sax on the piano.
Link

 

[wendsworth]

Hi

the tune did not seem to start complicated as its "waterloo Sunset" and came out of one of my books - it started getting complicated when he started "transposing" it to fit with the other instruments.

I'll try and do what I'm told and if I cant I will go hide in a corner somewhere

 

[Linky Lee]

you can always raise or lower passages by an octave if needed.

It is a guitar and vocal tune and the guitar has quite a large range more readily accessable than on a saxophone.

 

[philthd]

make the guitarist change key

if you dont know all the notes you cant be expected to play all the notes

even if the guitarist is bad they can use a capo but most should be able to just adapt