Re: bass clef troubles
Reply #22 –
Hi David,
that works for me. Only one caveat! If the staff has a no playback transposition then "Update staff play back transposition" MUST be left unchecked during step 1. If the staff DOES have a playback transposition then it must be checked. The only purpose of this is of course to achieve correct playback pitch once the job is finished.
The Tenor Sax and the Tenor Trombone are pitched in the same register.
Now, to try to explain "partial"...
The fundamental note of the tenor trombone is a Bb 2 octaves below the Bb immediately below middle C. This note is considered a "pedal" note. It can take quite a good embouchure to achieve this note reliably. The next Bb above is normally considered the bottom note of the instrument (1 octave below middle C). It is also the 2nd "partial" which means that my previous post had some errors in the numbering of the partials - mea culpa - please add 1 to each of the partial numbers mentioned in that post.
Now, I'm sure you are familiar enough with brass theory to know that the pitch of the notes produced are a result of a combination of air velocity and lip tension (ignoring slide position or valve depressions and instrument length for the moment).
So the lowest "open" (no valves or slide in 1st position) note is a concert Bb and is the first partial. The next note is an octave above this - the next Bb and is the second "partial". The next note is an F - the 3rd partial, next comes the next Bb - 4th partial (the Bb below middle C if we are talking about a tenor trombone), then D - 5th partial, F again - 6th partial, a somewhat flat A - 7th partial (not commonly used except by trombones who can adjust tuning with the slide) then Bb - 8th partial and on up the scale.
You will note the partials get closer and closer in pitch. For the mathematically inclined or perhaps physics afficionados you will notice that I have roughly described a harmonic series. The partials are simply overtones of the fundamental.
I.E. the fundamental is the 1st harmonic, the next octave is the 2nd harmonic, then up a 5th to the 3rd harmonic, up a 4th to the 4th harmonic etc...
When we add control of the length of the tubing of the instrument we can add the rest of the notes.
On a valved instrument like a trumpet, the 1st valve adds sufficient tubing to lower the note a tone, the second valve adds a semitone and the 3rd valve adds 3 semitones. By combining valves we can achieve a full chromatic scale.
Similarly on the trombone, each position is a semitone apart. Thus, 1st position - slide closed, 2nd position lowers a semitone, 3rd position lowers another semitone, or 2 semitones in total, and so on out to 7th position which is 6 semitones lower than 1st position.
And just to add confusion, each position is a little further away than the previous one. E.G. 2nd position is about 3" from 1st position, 3rd is about 3 1/4" from 2nd, 4th is about 3 3/4" from 3rd etc. but of course none of this is exact as none of the partials are exacly in tune either...
Please note that the notes mentioned above only apply to Bb instruments. E.G. Tenor Trombone, Bb Trumpet, BBb Tuba, Euphonium (Tenor Tuba), [abbr=I'm not going to go into the confusions inherent in the naming of this instrument]Baritone[/abbr], Flugel Horn, Bb Cornet etc.
The descriptions of the overtone series are correct, only the notes change when we start to talk about Alto Trombones or Eb Cornets or Eb Tenor Horns etc...
Hope this hasn't confused anyone too much,
Lawrie