This video goes into the details of transposition. Let me know what questions you have or if parts don’t make sense.
To go from the key of C to the key of Eb (for alto saxophone and bari saxophone) you descend by a minor third or three half steps.
To go from the key of C to the key of Bb (for tenor saxophone and sorpano saxophone) you ascend by a whole step (major 2nd or two half steps).
Bb to Eb is a fourth or a fifth apart going up or down.
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Hello Neal,
You have an interesting hobby. Helas its not one for me. I am a smoker so i dont have the breath to get more then a little puff out of this wonderful instrument.
When i saw the name of your blog my first thought was that this was the blog of a radio station that loves saxophone. But i must admit that the logo is nicely made. Kinda jealous about it since the logo on my blog is oh so boring.
Anyway, a great blog you have here. If i was a saxophone lover/player i would definitely bookmark it.
Hey Johan,
Thanks for stopping by. Yep, gotta have breath to play sax.
-Neal
Hey guys, if I’m play a riff in the lower or upper Register, and I want to play a note in the opposite register, what note I’m aiming for? Also I’m having trouble with coming out C into the octave D. And back down from E. I’m squeaking at least 30% of the time. Any suggestions for me to try?
Hey David,
The name of the note will be the same letter. Between C and D a lot changes with the air flow. You’re going from a shorter section of tube to a much longer section. If your fingers don’t align perfectly, it can be thrown off. Practice it slowly and be aware of your fingers.
-Neal
Hi, can someone answer this question for me. if you need to know how far b flat is in intervals from e flat. do i count chromaticly or count within the b flat scale.
Hey David,
You could go either way, I think it would be simpler to think in terms of intervals within the scale. So Bb is a fifth above Eb or Eb is a fourth above Bb. As you play music longer, the intervals should become a bit more comfortable.
-Neal