How To Transpose Any Song For Saxophone + A deeper look into transposing to improve musicianship #15

[@dannbass]

My daughter was playing her new saxophone, and she was telling me it was one note, but on the piano, I was hearing a different one. I looked it up, and it led me to your video. Thanks for explaining it.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

You’re welcome!

[@Mitch617a]

Thanks!

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks so much!

[@heatherwhatley4947]

Thanks Paul, this lesson was very helpful to me. I'm just starting to learn to play along with my husband on bass guitar and we couldn't understand why House of the Rising Sun sounded so odd. So your explanation came at just the right time! It's very clear and helpful (although I'm not ready for the numbers bit yet!! Do you do a lesson on House of the Rising Sun? Thanks again.....just gonna buy you a coffee for that.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks Heather! I haven’t house of the rising sun yet. Good luck with it!

[@Justshredman]

So many useful gems on your channel.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks!

[@robertgreen3702]

Thanks for this new way. ..l shall defnitely try it. I normally read the line or space below in the new key for my alto sax.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

You're welcome!

[@MooseMalarkey]

THANK YOU! Much clearer than other videos I checked out first.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

You're welcome!

[@KrisVComm]

Another way I transpose for alto is to visualize the note on the staff and then move it down to the next lowest line or space and then think about the accidental.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Yeah, that’s a good one, for the key signature just move 3 keys around the of cycle of 5ths, eg F major (1 flat) becomes D major (2 sharps) and you’re sorted.

[@saraphonic8649]

Super helpful and to the point, love to see it.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks!

[@saraphonic8649]

no problem just keep up the high qualitie vids@@OnlineSaxAcademy

[@ThenSaidHeUntoThem]

Thank you. Your video was quite helpful, especially with the numbers.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Your welcome!

[@Alfsax75]

Muchas gracias, me gustan mucho tus videos. Los sigo desde chile. Gracias nuevamente y por favor no pares

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Gracias Alfredo! No te preocupes, voy a seguir! 😆

[@soulwayne2054]

Really enjoy your channel , and the knowledge , time you put into sharing! Thanks a ton 🤩 There’s a specific phrase that I want to practice that features a solo of an alto sax. I have a soprano sax. However , I also don’t know the key of of the original song 🎶 . Given the circumstances, will transposition be necessary? Do I play the line by ear matching the notes? Or , from the notes I hear, move the notes a whole step up to my Bb flat soprano? Love to know your insight??

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks! If you have music for alto sax and you want play it on the soprano sax then you’ll need to transpose the notes down a perfect 5th or 7 semi tones (half steps). I hope that helps!

[@soulwayne2054]

Great 😁 thank you 🙏🏾

[@deonmuso4430]

Awesome thank you

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

You’re welcome!

[@harshaaudio8528]

Super helpful vedio tq jai ho India

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks!

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

☕️ If you enjoyed this lesson you can buy me a coffee here... ko-fi.com/paulrileysax Your support is very much appreciated!

[@greysonira4536]

not sure if anyone gives a damn but if you are stoned like me atm you can stream all of the new movies and series on InstaFlixxer. I've been streaming with my gf recently :)

[@aldeneliseo7500]

@Greyson Ira Yup, have been using instaflixxer for since december myself :)

[@sukhbirandeverything]

God bless you

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks!

[@amanorleviticusphilip15]

You do all bro

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Thanks Amanor!

[@melissadelacruz6592]

What about minors? Many concert instruments like pianos and guitars have minors. If, for an example, a concert instrument were playing in the D minor scale what scale would an Eb (alto saxophone) be? I’m a bit scared because I’m a saxophonist playing in my church band and I don’t really know what to do when they call out minors haha. According to my calculations I got (for the sax) Fsharp, G, A, B, Csharp, D, and E. Is this correct?

[@ninadkulkarni8673]

For sheet music specifically written for saxophone... do we need to tranpose it or we can play directly

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

No you shouldn’t need to, not unless you want to play the song in different key.

[@ninadkulkarni8673]

@@OnlineSaxAcademy Okay Thank you for the reply 🙂

[@emersonm.3500]

What about lower sounding songs? I have a song I'm trying to transpose but one of the notes goes below low Bb which is the lowest note I've heard for a saxophone?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

I would but the phrase that those notes are in all up the octave first and then transpose them down a minor 3rd.

[@michalsiegel9213]

If I would write a jazz track for e.g. piano and sax, do I write both notations in C and the sax player will transpose in their head, or do I write the piano part in C and the sax part in Bb / Eb depending on the instrument?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Hi Michal, ideally you would transpose the sax part so that the sax player isn’t required to transpose in their head. Hope this helps, feel free to send me the part and I can check it if you’d like?

[@christineaaskov5842]

So I'm not sure I get it. Do you just have to transpose in your head for each note when reading the sheet music, or do you only have to change the key of the music?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Hi Christine, if you had a piece of music in concert pitch, you can either transpose each note down 3 semi tones (for alto/Bari sax) or up 2 semi tones (for tenor/soprano sax). Or you can work out what scale degrees the melody is using and then play those same scale degree numbers in the new key. For example is it was C D E in C major that would become A B C# in A major for alto sax or D E F# for tenor sax. Does this help? Transposition is a tricky subject!

[@christineaaskov5842]

@@OnlineSaxAcademy Thank you! I just got my alto sax this week so I’m very new to playing the saxophone, but I have already found your channel extremely helpful! Thanks a lot and thank you for the good and quick response:)

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

That’s great, if you’d ever like to do a zoom lesson with me check out my site: www.OnlineSaxophoneTeacher.com

[@s8r647]

Does this work for finding the key of the tune as well? For example my pianist is playing in C maj, my key is A maj?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Exactly!

[@2012ttran]

Helle, my song is key of E minor of piano, how to transpose to sax? How many half steps I need to go down or go up. Please help me. Thanks.

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Is it alto or tenor sax?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

Alto = C#minor Tenor = F# minor

[@niwatwinejunior4423]

I play alto sax but am finding a problem in transposing in minor scales e.g if concert is Fminor what key is alto sax

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

D minor for you

[@niwatwinejunior4423]

Do you transpose the sam way you do in major scales

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

@@niwatwinejunior4423 yep that's right!

[@Osnosis]

‘Play a C” means playing the pitch that is *fingered* as a “C” on the instrument.

[@paulrileyquintet]

That’s right!

[@RedRebel8]

So why didn't they just call the eb a c on the saxophone?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

This is because the saxophone is based on the fingering systems of older woodwind instruments such as flutes, (which are in concert pitch)

[@melissadelacruz6592]

What about minors? Many concert instruments like pianos and guitars have minors. If, for an example, a concert instrument were playing in the D minor scale what scale would an Eb (alto saxophone) be? I’m a bit scared because I’m a saxophonist playing in my church band and I don’t really know what to do when they call out minors haha. According to my calculations I got (for the sax) Fsharp, G, A, B, Csharp, D, and E. Is this correct?

[@OnlineSaxAcademy]

It would be the same operation, if they call out D minor, that is B minor for you. If the call out C minor that is A minor for you. Your root note is always 3 semi tones lower than theirs.

[@melissadelacruz6592]

@@OnlineSaxAcademy Thank you so much!!!!!! Your a life saver!