Transposition for Saxophone players: Full Tutorial (what is it, how does it work, how to do it fast)

Hey guys,

In this video, we'll be doing something different, because instead of working on our Saxophone skills like we usually do, I wanted to do a more theoretical video around transposition, because I feel like a lot of musicians have difficulties with this concept.

In this video I'll be discussing the concept of Transposition and why it is such a useful skill to have beyond being a saxophonist, but also generally a musician. Next to that we'll also cover the different types of transpositions as well as the fastest way of transposing to guarantee yourself the best results possible, illustrating every single step of this tutorial with the most common saxophone transpositions to give you a headstart.

Here are some timestamps to help you navigate inside the video, if you're searching for something specific:

1:19 What is transposing? In this segment I'll define the concept of Transposition and explain to you what we're going to talk about in this video.

3:18 When is it used? Here we'll cover the 2 main situations in which transposition is usually used.

3:40 Transposing instruments : this segment is about transposing and non transposing instruments, defining and comparing them. We'll also have a look into why transposing instruments even exist, so if you're curious, this segment is for you.

6:10 Simple Transposition: in this segment we're going to cover the theoretical part of transposing from one transposing instrument (a saxophone for example) to a non transposing instrument like the piano.

8:30 Double Transposition: this segment is similar to the previous one but is a little more tricky as it functions with 2 transposing instruments (2 saxophones for example ;) ).

10:40 Technique 1 for fast transposing: here I'll teach you one technique to learn transposing on the fly, meaning you get a score and play straight from it while transposing in your head.

11:20 Technique 2 for fast transposing: same idea as the previous segment but another technique of course.

I hope you enjoyed this video, if you did don't hesitate to like and subscribe, I would really appreciate that and thank you for watching. Let me know in the comment section what you would like me to cover next and let me know if you like these theoretical episodes or if you prefer the pure saxophone content.

I'll see you soon,

Joris


Follow me on instagram @jorisrompen instagram.com/jorisrompen/

Alto sax setup :
Selmer serie III Jubilee Alto
Selmer Serie III Pre Jubilee Sterling Silver Neck
Vandoren AP3 Mouthpiece
Vandoren Traditional #3 Reeds
Bambu Ligature

Soprano sax setup :
Selmer serie III Soprano
Selmer Concept Mouthpiece
Vandoren Traditional #4 Reeds
Bambu Ligature

Background music "Insomnia" by Sarah Jansen
soundcloud.com/sarahjansenmusic