Term 3 - Lesson 6 - Friday 12th May

What happens if you don't want to start this on C?

Transposition

By now, you should be able to figure out key signatures. Here is the circle of fifths for you to use to check.

Here is my list of instructions on how to transpose.

You may find this useful: Here is a page which explains it in a different way and also gives some information about some of the contexts in which you would transpose.

You need to be clear on intervals. Revise this if necessary.

Transposing Instruments:

Basically, some instruments are not written at the pitch they actually sound!

For example, the Clarinet in B flat (which is the most common type of clarinet). If you play a C on a Clarinet in B flat, you will hear a B flat. In other words, it will sound a tone lower than it is written at.



Here are some of the common transposing instruments.

Here's an excellent wikipedia entry on transposing instruments.



This "Music Teacher" with, like, "Three Degrees" doesn't understand why we have transposing instruments:



Fortunately, "Mr Audio" does.

Term 2, Lessons 2 & 3 - Monday 9th and Friday 13th January 2017

(notice that the keys go up by a 5th clockwise and down by a 5th anticlockwise)
(also, as we go clockwise, we add a sharp, and as we go anticlockwise, we add a flat)


Key signatures:

To remember the order of sharps:

Father Christmas Gave Dave An Electric Blanket


OR:


Father Charles Goes Down And Ends Battle

The advantage to the second one is that it works backwards for flats:

Battle Ends And Down Goes Charles's Father


Feel free to make up your own and put in the comments.


This may or may not help you to figure out how many sharps or flats there are:

For a sharp key, the leading note (7th) is the last sharp in the key signature.

eg. For B Major, A sharp is the last sharp so the key sig. is F, C, G, D and A sharps.


For a flat key, go through the flats until you get to the key note and then go one further.

eg. for A flat Major, the key signature is B flat, E flat, A flat AND D flat.

This link explains it as well.


And below is a reminder of the names of the scale degrees.

Lesson 11 - 4th November 2016

This link illustrates well how key signatures do.

Note:
If a key signature has an F sharp in it, it means that every F, at every octave, will be sharp.

An accidental, (ie. a sharp, flat or natural written next to a note) lasts for the bar (eg. if there is an F sharp, an further Fs in the bar, written at the same octave will be sharpened.)




Here are some exercises to practise writing with and without key signatures.