Transposing Bassoon to Baritone Saxophone?

Question

I know the rule for transposing bassoon to baritone saxophone is supposed to be subtract 3 flats and add 3 sharps but i still don't understand it. what if the bassoon part doesn't have any flats...do i just have 3 sharps?

or what if it has 2 flats...do i have 1 sharp or no sharp? AHH this is so confusing. Any help in detail would be greatly appreciated.

by the way i'm going from bass clef to treble clef if your wondering.

Answer 1

OK here is a cool trick when transposing from a bass clef instrument in C (which the bassoon is) to the Bari sax. You only need to do two things. Read the part as if it were in treble clef, not in bass. This works because of the way the Bari sax transposes and because the difference in where notes appear on the staff in bass clef compared to treble clef.

Next, you need to change the key signature. Think of it like this: the Bari is in Eb (a key with 3 flats). So that means that the instrument already has three flats built right into it. When you are reading a part in C, you need to get rid of three flats, so you need to add three sharps to cancel them out.

If the key has 2 flats you would add three sharps which would leave you with 1 sharp. (The first two sharps you add just cancel the flats that are in the key signature).

If the key in C had no flats or sharps you would end up with three sharps. If the key had one flat you would end up with two sharps, etc.

I am a band director and since I currently don't have a tuba player but do have a Bari sax this is the method I use to quickly get the Bari reading a tuba part (it works just like a bassoon part would).

Good luck!

Answer 2

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Transposing Bassoon to Baritone Saxophone?
I know the rule for transposing bassoon to baritone saxophone is supposed to be subtract 3 flats and add 3 sharps but i still don't understand it. what if the bassoon part doesn't have any flats...do i just have 3 sharps?

or what if it has 2 flats...do i have 1 sharp or no sharp? AHH...

Answer 3

Bassoon Transposition

Answer 4

Forget the rule. Follow this:
The baritone saxophone in E flat sounds a major sixth + octave lower than it's written (if you play A2, it will sounds C1). So, you must write the bassoon's notes but a major sixth + octave higher (automatically you'll write the notes in the treble clef).
Finding the tonality (for the sharps and flats thing), you must concentrate to the follows: let's say that the original tonality (in the bassoon part is D major, so you have 2 sharps - F and C). You will write for baritone sax a major sixth higher. From D, it will be B. What are the sharps in B major? F C G D A. So, you'll add 3 sharps.
If the bassoon part is in F minor. What is the sixth above F? It's D. So, you find D minor (one flat - B flat). So, you extract 3 flats.
THE MAIN THING IN WORKING WITH TRANSPOSITION IS THAT TO ALWAYS THINK TO THE ORIGINAL TONALITY, IN RAPPORT TO THE TRANSPOSING TONALITY.
"or what if it has 2 flats...do i have 1 sharp or no sharp?" one sharp, of course.
Good luck ;)

Answer 5

Brittany, actually the only part of the rule you need to remember is add 3 sharps to the printed key signature. In sharp keys you will be adding 3 sharps to the end of the existing sharps, so the key of 1 sharp (G) becomes the key of 4 sharps (E).

When you get to the key of C, add 3 sharps and you play in the key of A.

In flat keys adding 3 sharps cancels out the flats starting at the last flat. So in the key of Bb the Bb and Eb and the last two sharps cancel each other and you are left with 1 sharp (F# - Key of G) as your signature.

Another example - Key of Ab (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db) - the three sharps and last three flats cancel each other leaving the Bb (key of F) as your signature.

As far as reading the bass clef notes, simply imagine a treble clef sign with your new signature and read the notes as treble clef notes. You will have to adjust for accidentals sometimes, for instance accidental naturals will sometimes become #''s and flats sometimes naturals.

After you have tried this for a while sight reading bass parts (bassoon, tuba, trombone, etc.) on baritone sax (or alto) will be fairly easy.

Musician, composer, woodwind player, director.

Answer 6

If you want the easy way.
Use the 'Finale' program to write the music out in the Basson part, then there is a transpose key, and you can transpose it to the Bari Sax part. My theory teacher (and probably yours) would kill you if you did it this way, but if it is frustrating you this much, the easy way might be the best!

Good Luck!!

Answer 7

Draw a pie graph in 12 pieces.
Going clockwise, label the pie slices:

0 sharps or flats (C major, a minor)
1 sharp (G major, e minor)
2 sharps (D major, b minor)
3 sharps (A major, f# minor)
4 sharps (E major, c# minor)
5 sharps (B major, g# minor)
6 sharps (F# major, d# minor) or 6 flats (Gb major, eb minor)
7 sharps (C# major, a# minor) or 5 flats (Db major, bb minor)
4 flats (Ab major, f minor)
3 flats (Eb major, c minor)
2 flats (Bb major, g minor)
1 flat (F major, d minor)

Whatever key the bassoon part is written in, go 3 places clockwise and voila!

In response to your first example, you're right: add 3 sharps.
In response to your second example, about 2 flats, you're right the first time: 1 sharp.