Concert Pitch working backwards

• Nov 17, 2016 - 19:42

Hi All,

I am new to using musescore and was attempting to write parts for transposed instruments (tenor sax & Bb trumpet) along with some normal instruments. I have written all the parts using the concert pitch, then when we export to try and play we take off the concert pitch. However to our understanding it has shifted the instruments the wrong direction and sounds terrible. Concert pitch is F but when exported musescore gives a key of G, and all sax notes are written 2 semi tones higher.

I may be wrong but shouldn't it be moving the saxophone lower so a written Bb played by saxophone sounds like a C?

This is one of the scores we are working on:
Once_In_Royal_Davids_City (3).mscz


Comments

No, you have it backwards. A Bb instruments sound a step *lower* than written, so they need to be written a step *higher*. If your music is in F concert, tenor saxophone and trumpet *are* supposed to be written in G. And written Bb played by saxophone sounds like an Ab, not like a C.

BTW, you shouldn't need to manually turn concert pitch off. Not sure how you tried to export the parts, but it looks like you never actually created parts. To do this, use File / Parts, New All. This will create the parts as separate tabs within the current score - no need to export at all. And Concert Pitch will *automatically* be turned off for the parts. You can then print directly from those parts, or use the Export Parts function if you wish to generate PDF's.

Anyhow if things sound terrible, it must be for some other reason, because your score is written correctly and the concert pitch button *is* working correctly, and if you are seeing a key signature of G for the trumpet and tenor saxophone, that is all exactly as it should be.

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