Hey All,
I have a part written in Concert pitch for a Bb trumpet. My understanding is a written C should sound 2 steps down. But playing back in Dorico 6 it doesn’t. My player is using the Bb trumpet instrument profile. I get the same result whether I have Concert Pitch or Transposed Pitch selected at the bottom of the screen.
I’m using NotePerformer 5 but get the same result with the stock sound player.
Any ideas?
An empty project would be really helpful for us to check, if possible.
You might recognize it.
Star Wars.dorico (1.3 MB)
The playback is correct. As the basic key of the Star Wars opening is B♭ the trumpets are notated a major second too high. The main theme starts with a C (sounding B♭).
The score is written in transposed pitch, the key is B♭ major but the a key signature indicates C major. To avoid confusion I recommend to add the proper key signature.
Maybe I’m using the incorrect terminology:)
I’m aware there’s no key signature. You can see on bar 4 that the bass is Bb but the Trumpet is written as a C. I thought that a C in concert pitch would sound as a Bb, but it doesn’t.
All the other instruments work just fine, including the Horns which are a transposed instrument. Just not the trumpet.
As I said
The first chord in the horns is F major (sounding B♭ major)
In your project the main theme in the 1st trumpet starts with D (sounding C) which is clearly wrong.
Sorry if I’m frustrating you.
If I’m copying the score as written and I have the correct instrument for the trumpet, what am I doing wrong? If I transpose the trumpet down a step it’s fine, but that’s not how it’s written.
Switching to transposed pitch doesn’t help either.
No problem, you are reading the trumpets in the printed score – which is in transposed pitch – in concert pitch. Transcribe the trumpets literally as-is. Again, adding the B♭ key signature will avoid confusion.
I think I understand that.
Are you saying adding a Bb key signature to this project will resolve the issue?
No, but it clearly indicates the key the music is written in.
That is literally what I’m doing…..
If I am correctly informed, the correct term is “keyless” key signature:
A keyless key signature does not display a key signature (= no key signature accidentals, it looks like the key of C major).
In a keyless key signature all accidentals are notated as note accidentals.
A keyless key signature can be notated as transposed pitch, or as Concert Pitch.
In this case the score has a keyless key signature, notated as transposed pitch.
Yes, but the score is NOT in concert pitch, it’s already transposed
Hello,
I think you entered the notes exactly as they appear in the original score, but using the “reference pitch” option instead of “transposed pitch.” That’s why the trumpet parts are a major second too high.
So, to recap:
I appreciate all the replies.
So if I have this right, my mistake was thinking this was a concert pitch score because it had no key signature, whereas it’s a transposed sore because the transposed instruments have their own accidentals?
So I should be transcribing the notes in Transposed Pitch in Dorico instead?
For transcribing it is much easier to enter the notes at Written pitch rather than Sounding pitch…
Changing the input pitch setting • Dorico Pro Help • Reader • Steinberg
