Instruments

• Dec 1, 2009 - 06:15

In the instruments for r2269 I choose piccolo and find that the clef is transposed up an octave instead of the staff being down an octave from concert pitch (ie it displays an 8va treble clef instead of it displaying a normal one and transposing)


Comments

In reply to by David Bolton

In that post It's saying the exact opposite of what I'm saying
It should be a normal treble clef and transposed from concert pitch
I know, I am a piccolo player and Ive NEVER seen a piece written like that (with the 8va treble clef)

In reply to by maestro_hanson

I'm no picc player, but I have played xylophone and orchestral bells which sound 2 octaves above the written. This is just normal practice and writing music on an 8va treble clef will most likely cause confusion and the piece to be played an octave higher than intended--if that's even possible. I would stick with normal conventions rather than depart from them just because a few people say so.

In reply to by MDMilford

I am a tenor and counter tenor, viola da gamba and recorder player and also contrabass, rather old.

When I was young, choir scores didn't use G key oct bassa for tenors (they just knew they had to octaviate), now they often do, particularly for "old" (baroque) music,
Now one usually "old keys", especially C keys, for violas, but G octv bassa for tenors.
Guitar scores never show oct bassa in the key..... neither soprano recorder do show the oct alt
Contrabass scores may show the oct bassa or no, but any bassist know what he has to do.

But quite a lot of music composers doesn't know well instruments and their usage.

So I receive sometimes bass score noted in not octaviated F key, I am not able to read at first glance, and I choose to edit anew the score, since I had not the file.

Situation however is clear (I hope so) for instrument using non-octave transposition.

As far as octave-transposing intruments are concerned, I have rather that Musescore suggest a key with the appropriate oct added, such that actual notes are given, and easy to read, according to the custom or the instrument (I have been told that tuba uses F key without any ocataviation, reading in the added low lines?).

When one edits a score, it is easy to change the key, to cope with one's own standards....

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