hello
I am using music theory in practice g5 work book and on excercise 19 b. I am transposing clarinet in a to concert pitch down a minor 3rd.
The extract is in c minor... i think key shows three flats and the b is raised from flat to natural. (harmonic minor).
If the piece is in c minor does this mean I can just count down three semitones and work out that the new key is a minor...

What note does the b natural in c minor become in the new key.

I have this as a flat ..I think this is wrong and should be g sharp.

help....
BFN mike

You got it, G#! The key the extract sounds in is A minor

Yep, G#. Two ways to check yourself - 1) You are going down a minor 3rd, so your new notes should be a 3rd away from the original ones. So a B would become a G, then raised one semitone (Bb-B-nat --> G-G#). 2) The B natural is the sharpened 7th in C minor. Therefore the new note should also be the sharpened 7th in the new key. New key is A min, therefore #7th is G#.

ahhhhh transposition at g5 *screams*

My theory teacher was a mean bean back then and about two weeks before the exam he said i need extra lessons focused on the transposition. one night i came and he just wouldnt let me leave until i got this one line transposed right - he just came and rubbed everything out, about ten times...arghhh!!!!

Your teacher sounds mean....I can't actually remember what mine did as it was my old teacher...the one now has no idea whatsoever how i cope with theory. ...though he does teacher one of my mates and rang me a few days before the exam saying 'She's really panicking about G5 can you please ring her and comfort/help her as you've done it before...'

The way I always teach it to my pupils who are doing Grade 5 theory is the following:

1. It doesn't matter at all whether the original piece is in the major or minor - look at the key signature and decide which MAJOR key it would be (pupils are often more reliable on their major key signatures than on the minors!). Then from that keynote go down/up the required interval. Take that new note as the tonic of your new major key and put in the key signature.

eg. if the key sig is 2 flats and you are asked to go down by a minor 3rd: the original key sig is that of Bb major. Down a minor 3rd from Bb gives you a G, so your new key sig is that of G major, ie 1 sharp.

2. Write all the notes down or up the required numerical interval, ignoring the notes with accidentals for the moment.

3. THEN deal with every note that has an accidental, raising or lowering it as was done in relation to the key signature in the original. Some of them may be just 'reminding' accidentals, but they should be put in nonetheless.

This sounds complicated when written down, but is a pretty straightforward way of doing it!

I do what jo does with my students. I also get them to bracket the 'reminding' accidentals to show they recognise their function.

After all, does no harm to show off a bit

Steve

1) I do same as jo clarinet for this.

2) I tell mine: if the transposition is a major 2nd, the notes on lines will go to the next space, or notes on spaces to the next line; if the transposition is a minor 3rd, notes on spaces go to the next space, lines to the next line; for a perfect 5th, lines to the next but one line, spaces to the next but one space. Ignore the accidentals for now. This is the same as moving the note a 2nd, 3rd or 5th and is very quick to do.

3) Deal with the accidentals last. I suggest that they count semitones for this: 2 semitones for a major 2nd, 3 semitones for a minor 3rd, 7 for a perfect 5th. If the original has an accidental, the transposed one has an accidental too.

Seems to work. They get it very quickly and don't often go wrong