Here's a brief explanation of what it means when you see e.g. "Clarinet in B flat" or "Clarinet in A" on a piece of music, which I gather from the current thread on Grade 5 theory people are expected to know about by the time they take that exam.

Clarinets come in lots of different sizes. The most common is the clarinet in B flat. So that clarinettists don't have to learn a different set of fingerings for each size of instrument their music is written so that they can learn a fingering that matches a written note. The pitch of the note you hear then depends on which size of clarinet they are playing. The same applies to saxophones, and to many of the instruments in the brass band.

The description of the size of the instrument as being in a particular key, e.g. in B flat, or in A, relates to the note that you hear at concert pitch (the pitch of a piano) when the player is reading the note C.

Some examples:
The written note C sounds at the following pitches on the following instruments:
Clarinet or trumpet in B flat, soprano saxophone: B flat, a major 2nd = 2 semitones lower
Clarinet or trumpet in A: A , a minor 3rd = 3 semitones lower
Horn in F: F, a perfect 5th lower
Horn in E flat, alto saxophone: E flat, a major 6th lower.

If you go seriously into orchestration you need to know more than this, but the basic principle of the transpositions relating to written C stays the same.

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A topic close to my heart!
I have yet to meet a clarinetist who understands this simple theory. Ditto for Sax players.
Perhaps they are always spoilt, being presented with music which is always in the right (easy) key for them. I haven't met any who could tell me which key they should be playing, given the 'concert pitch' instruments are in a given key! Some have done grades too. I think I'll test them again next week...
I'll expect to get a response 'Ah but WE don't play in Concert Pitch, so it doens't concern us"!

As a pianist I've ALWAYS had to transpose to accomodate these players - however when a Bb and an Eb play with us - which is quite usual in our group, one can't always please them both by giving them 'easy' keys (namely concert pitch F, Bb or Eb), especially when singing is involved! Invariably the Eb instruments end up in the key of E or even B, which of course is too many sharps for them! Yet if they got their way, the 6 junior recorder players wouldn't be able to read in difficult concert pitch keys or the singers would be out of their range - not to mention the effort in changing all the keys!

That exercise in transposing, Rhapsodin should be used everywhere, but I suspect it rarely is taught.
Why they don't get to grips with lots of sharps amazes me. I've not tried them with 'flat' keys...
If they understood this principle, they might work harder at their 'common' keys and save them 1. reverting to playing recorder, 2. sitting there mute and looking bored 3. hacking it to death with every 2nd note wrong or 4. not turning up because the music doesn't suit them!

I agree - a very useful topic.

Maybe some teachers teach the principals of transposing instruments (as a set of rules ?) but don't give their students enough practice in applying them ?

Add that to the exam situation, and it's all too easy for confusion to set in.

Of course there are doubtless some teachers who don't even teach the rules properly. Quite a lot may depend on what instruments the teacher plays, but if theory goes hand in hand with practical experience it helps. A student who plays only one kind of instrument and is doing grade 5 theory is almost bound to find this harder than one who plays for example piano plus a transposing instrument, and unless it's really well taught it risks remaining an abstract and almost mathematical concept.

imho

Maggie

You are not actually required to know the transposition intervals at grade 5.
The transposition question always tells you the interval at this level.
It is from grade 6 you need to know.

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i can't talk bout transposin

i only got 1 mark for it

i guess the mark was for the rite clef

well i tried