getting along well with others

[darrell]

I'm trying to get my arms around this Bb instrument thing, and what's going to happen when I finally decide to start playing with others.

Since I am a Bb instrument, I'm basically one whole step lower than everyone else in the band right?

So does this mean that if everyone else is playing in the key of C, I need to play in the key of Bb on my instrument to play along?

Or does it mean that I would just need to play all of my notes a whole step higher (still in the key of C on my instrument too?

Also, I've got a hunch that this might work: Have the guitar player tune down a whole step: Instead of his strings being EADGBE, he tunes to DGCFAD. Voila! His instrument is now a Bb instrument and we can jam in tune while reading the same music. Is this a reasonable suggestion?

 

[philthd]

wrong way round

if everyone else is in concert C you will be playing in D major (you add 2 sharps is how i remember it)

and yes you can detune a guitar in Bb as a temporary solution - but don expect a pianist to similarly oblige you.

 

[therudest]

ye this was a pain in the ass when I just started to play in the band =))))

Always thinkin' bout notation and key signs =)))....

If u have C major concert then U should play in D major and so on....U should play a 1 step up, then every 1 else =)
Just get used to it and u will b thinkin' in 2 systems pretty soon =)))

 

[Linky Lee]

I find it easy to remember this way. I'm tuned 1 tone lower, so to sound at the same pitch I need to play 1 step higher than them at concert pitch.

Then when you get that alto you need (notice subliminal messaging?) you can think I'm up a minor third so I need to play a minor third lower then concert pitch.

 

[Bobby G]

But of course, when you get that soprano you need, having got into the alto, you are back to playing one tone up as it's an octave higher than a tenor.

You don't have to worry quite so much about pianists, as the keys that are comfortable for them to play in also tend to be good sax keys, whether you are on tenor or alto. Pianists are ok playing in Bb (C for you on tenor) or Eb (F for you on tenor) or F (G on tenor)as examples.

It's the guitarists who you need to be more concerned about; there's no real way round their favourite keys like E and A, so you'll just have to learn to play in F# and B >.<

Cheers, Bob

 

[therudest]

Guitar is easy...u just move u hand up or down, and do the same moves with your fingers...just have to remember the right pad for the note -=D

 

[Bobby G]

Yeah, if you could convince guitarists to play with a capo on the third fret, we alto players would have no transposition problems!

Cheers, Bob