Finale Forum

Hello,

How can I create a Bass Guitar written in G clef but sounding an Octave bellow?

Many thanks for your help!
Best wishes.

Guitar (notated in G clef) is written an octave above Concert Pitch.
* Is that what you need?
Normally you would not notate a Bass Guitar in that way.

* Or do you mean “in G clef, written two octaves above Concert Pitch” ?
You could begin with a Bass Guitar in F clef (Finale automatically picks F clef for Bass Guitar).
Then, in the Instrument List, change the Staff Transposition.

That’s not something I’ve seen since the 1960s. Big band charts often had an extra bass part written in treble clef marked Fender Bass. Useless, IMO. Some old band directors would ask me to play electric on a song, hand me one of those and say, “Here’s a part for you.” Uhhh... no thanks...

I always disliked standard guitar notation preferring to use a grand staff without transposition for my solo work. In fact, copying a piece from the single stave was a good way to help learn. A favorite activity when doing a background music gig was to bring one of my wife’s piano song books and sight read it cover to cover. Might as well have fun while being paid.

I did way too much pit orchestra, big band and studio work not to appreciate the practicality of guitar on one staff, however.

* Or do you mean “in G clef, written two octaves above Concert Pitch” ?
This one, yes.
Fantastic! So clear!
Many thanks!!!

I'm doing a guitar ensemble arrangement. The bass guitar is played using a Bass Classical Guitar that sounds an Octave lower and also is doubled by a normal guitar. This is why I want to write the part using G clef but hearing one octave lower to get the right effect.

If you want the bass guitar to sound an octave lower than written, then it would be the same set-up as a regular guitar.

Bill

I assume he means one octave lower than the normal guitar, which is already one octave lower, so: two.