Now that we have a functional understanding of diatonic harmony, we can begin analyzing scores that use instruments other than voice or piano. To do this, you will need understand how to read music that composed for transposing instruments. For various practical and historical reasons, transposing instruments produce a different sounding pitch than the one written on the page. For example, when a B-flat clarinet sees a written ‘C’, that pitch will sound as a ‘B-flat’.
Musicians use the following terms to discuss transposing instruments.
Transposing instruments are not conceptually difficult to understand – these instruments sound at a different pitch than written – but in practice, it often confuses the beginning analyst (or conductor), because instrument transposition is the process by which we compensate for an instrument’s sounding pitch. If we were to write for a B-flat instrument, is sounds a whole-step lower, so we must write the part a whole-step higher to get the performer to create the correct pitch. Conversely, when reading a B-flat transposed part, we must read it a whole-step lower, because it is written a whole-step higher than sounding.
It is easy to transpose in the wrong direction when having to constantly flip back and forth between concert pitch and the transpositions, so it is important to have a complete understanding of transposition for each instrument. Luckily, they can be grouped into relatively few categories.
It is also helpful to discuss the standard ranges of the instruments while looking at the transpositions. If you can remember that a tenor saxophone has a range similar to a tenor voice, this makes it considerably easier to remember the direction and distance required for its transposition.