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Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 6:15 pm
by motet
As requested, here is the transposition chart I had posted in the old MM forum, showing the Interval and Key Alter settings for most common instruments and transpositions found in the literature, plus instructions on effecting enharmonic key changes.

Read through the topic to the end for future versions.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 7:34 am
by Peter S.
Thanks, this is very helpful!

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Sat Jan 21, 2017 6:51 am
by OCTO
Very helpful, thank you.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2017 12:19 am
by jose oscar
Thank you

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 12:09 am
by Luka Puka
Did you leave out string instruments on purpose?

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Wed May 24, 2017 12:32 am
by motet
Only transposing instruments.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2017 12:05 am
by Luka Puka
What about the viola's alto clef and the cello's tenor clef? Those might be useful to indicate; I don't know if it's completely necessary.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2017 4:29 am
by Peter S.
Violas and Cellos are not transposing instruments!

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2017 11:58 pm
by motet
Right--the point of the chart is to fill in Finale's transposition dialog correctly. Clefs are a different subject.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Sun Jun 18, 2017 1:55 am
by Luka Puka
OHHH, it took me a minute to get what you meant. The only reason I got it was because I played trumpet in 5th grade and the written notes were transposed a major 2nd up from the trumpet's sound. :lol:

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:03 pm
by motet
The flauto piccolo in G was an instrument used in Mozart's time and appearing in his Entführing aus dem Serail. The notes in the Neue Mozart Ausgabe say that it sounds a twelfth above what was written, but it's confusing. In some pieces that appears to be so, but in the overture it seems impossibly high. He writes an F three ledger lines above the staff, which would translate to the highest C on a piano and would double the violins two octaves higher.

Does anyone have experience with this instrument?

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2018 4:13 am
by Komponist
Motet, I just found your transposition sheet. It makes writing for transposing instruments much easier. Thanks for taking time.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Sun Sep 23, 2018 9:42 pm
by motet
In light of a discussion in another thread, I've added Chromatic Transposition settings to my chart (the numbers one uses are different from Key Signature transposition).

(Zipped PDF):

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 6:55 pm
by OCTO
Wonderful, thank you!

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:21 pm
by michelp
Thank you, motet.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2018 7:32 am
by motet
A little better wording in a few places; no new information:

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2019 7:27 pm
by gfox1606
This chart is the best, particularly for setting up those weird (to my tiny mind) transpositions in Finale. My trumpet in E problems are over. Thanks a million.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 1:56 pm
by Anders Hedelin
I know this not about transposition, but about a possibly related chart that I've been looking for.
Does anyone know of a comprehensive chart of instrument names and their most common abbreviations in the major languages (Italian, English, German, French)?
I've found something on the net, but nothing really comprehensive, or very reliable, so far.
Perhaps I should say instruments in fairly frequent use in traditional and contemporary music, not the entire ocean of percussion and ethnic instruments.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 3:49 pm
by Peter Thomsen
Anders Hedelin wrote:… I've found something on the net, but nothing really comprehensive, or very reliable, so far …
Do you mean this web site ?

https://www.fransabsil.nl/htm/instrum.htm

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 4:15 pm
by motet
There are some mistakes in that ("Bass clarinett"), but it seems like a good start. Maybe you could mine that and start your own, and add Spanish or Czech or whatever.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 4:25 pm
by Anders Hedelin
Peter Thomsen wrote:
Anders Hedelin wrote:… I've found something on the net, but nothing really comprehensive, or very reliable, so far …
Do you mean this web site ?

https://www.fransabsil.nl/htm/instrum.htm
I'll have to check this more thoroughly.
motet wrote:Maybe you could mine that and start your own, and add Spanish or Czech or whatever.
Possibly I could add Swedish anf Finnish. (Just kidding.)

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Thu Aug 29, 2019 4:47 pm
by Raputtak
I made a little spreadsheet with this data:

1 Concert Pitch To hear: C C# Db D D# Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab A A# Bb B
Write:
2 Bb Instruments D D# Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab A A# Bb B C C# Db
3 Eb Instruments A A# Bb B C C# Db D D# Eb E F F# Gb G G# Ab
4 F Instruments G G#Ab A A#Bb B C C#Db D D# Eb E F F#Gb

To hear the note on line 1 write the note on line 2,3, 4 as appropriate.
I colored the cells to make it visual and printed it out.
Add lines for other transpositions to taste.

I hope it lines up on y'alls computer, but you get my drift.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:04 am
by Gwyn
That's very useful. Thanks for making this available.
Gwyn.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2020 1:29 am
by motet
Here again is the latest version of this chart (April 2020). For some reason, some of the previous attachments have been deleted.

Re: Motet's transposition chart

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2021 7:51 am
by motet
ewindels inspired me to change "baritone oboe" to the more common English term, "bass oboe." That's the only change.