#46 LEARN FREE MUSIC THEORY

Andrew Furmanczyk

7 Dec 201015:44

EducationalLearning

32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe narrator explains the different groups of orchestral instruments - C instruments at concert pitch, B-flat instruments that sound a major second lower, A instruments that sound a minor third lower, F instruments that sound a perfect fifth or fourth lower, and E-flat instruments that sound a minor third higher. He describes which specific instruments fit into each category, like trumpet and clarinet in B-flat. As an exercise, he challenges viewers to compose original music, then transpose into the keys of various orchestral instruments, utilizing the chart. This provides a basic introduction to orchestral transposition.

Takeaways

😀 There are 5 groups of orchestral instruments based on their tuning: C, Bb, A, F, and Eb
😯 C instruments like piano and violin sound as written while others sound different pitches
🎼 Bb instruments like trumpet sound a major second lower than written
🎷 A instruments like clarinet sound a minor third lower than written
🎺 F instruments like french horn sound a perfect fifth lower than written
👂 Eb instruments like soprano clarinet sound a minor third higher than written
🎹 Transposing is required to make different instruments compatible in pitch when playing together
📝 Learn the 5 orchestral instrument groups and how they transpose for important theory knowledge
🪗 The orchestra section order is: woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards, strings from top to bottom
🎵 Use transposition practice to get comfortable moving melodies between various orchestral instrument keys

Q & A

What are the five main groups of orchestral instruments discussed in the video?
-The five main groups discussed are: C instruments (concert pitch), B-flat instruments, A instruments, F instruments, and E-flat instruments.
Why do some orchestral instruments need to be transposed?
-Instruments like the trumpet, saxophone, and clarinet sound lower than written due to constraints of the instruments themselves. Transposing allows the parts to match up with other instruments playing in concert pitch.
What instruments are part of the C or concert pitch group?
-The C instruments include: piano, flute, bassoon, oboe, trombone, tuba, harp, organ, violin, viola, cello, double bass, and piccolo.
What happens when you play a C note on a B-flat instrument?
-When you play a C on a B-flat instrument like trumpet, saxophone, or clarinet, you will hear a B-flat. So it sounds a major second lower than written.
Why can a trumpet be both a B-flat and an A instrument?
-Trumpets come in different tunings. A B-flat trumpet sounds a major second lower than written, while an A trumpet sounds a minor third lower than written.
What instruments are part of the woodwinds section of the orchestra?
-The woodwinds section includes: flute, oboe, english horn, clarinet, bassoon, and saxophone.
What percussion instruments might be found in an orchestra?
-Common percussion instruments include timpani, gongs, bells, drums, triangles and more. Percussion refers to anything that makes a sound when hit.
Why does the teacher recommend referencing the instrument range chart?
-The teacher recommends referencing the instrument range chart to see the capabilities of each instrument, which helps with composing and transposing parts appropriately.
What is the homework assignment at the end of the video?
-The homework is to write 5 lines of music in different keys, then transpose each line into 4 different instruments to practice transposition skills.
What will the next video cover?
-The next video will give a basic introduction to structural analysis of music compositions.

Outlines

00:00

🎵 Instruments and Pitch Groups

This paragraph introduces the different groups of orchestral instruments categorized by their tuning - C instruments at concert pitch, Bb instruments that sound a major second lower, A instruments that sound a minor third lower, F instruments that sound a perfect fifth lower, and Eb instruments that sound a minor third higher. It explains that these instruments operate in incompatible tunings so transposition is needed to match pitches.

05:02

🎼 Transposing Between Instrument Groups

This paragraph provides examples of how to transpose between instrument groups so the pitches match properly. It explains that if you have a Bb trumpet in an ensemble, you'd transpose its part down a major second to sound correct. It also emphasizes relating the pitch intervals between instrument tunings.

10:02

🎻 Orchestra Instrument Sections

This paragraph lists the instrument sections of a standard orchestra - woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards, and strings. It describes what instruments are in each section and explains that the orchestra layout and instruments can vary between pieces based on the composer's scoring.

15:03

📝 Transposition Homework Assignment

This paragraph gives a homework assignment to write 5 four-bar lines of music in different keys, then transpose each one into four different instruments across tuning groups to practice transposition skills. It acknowledges most people won't have diverse instruments to test this but focuses on the theory.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡transposing

Transposing refers to changing the key of a musical composition to accommodate the range or tuning of particular instruments. It is an important concept in orchestral writing since many instruments like clarinets and french horns are tuned to keys other than the standard C instruments. The video explains the logic and process behind transposing parts to correctly match them by interval. For example, "if you play a C you're going to hear a B flat" on a Bb trumpet.

💡concert pitch

Concert pitch refers to the standard tuning of C instruments where the written notes directly correspond to the sounded pitch. Piano, violin, flute are examples of concert pitch instruments. This is used as the reference point for transposing other instruments.

💡ranges

Each orchestra instrument has its own pitch range that the composer must consider when writing parts. Transposing allows instruments like clarinet or french horn to play in their comfortable ranges while fitting with other instruments. The video recommends referencing resources on the playing ranges of instruments.

💡intervals

Musical intervals quantify the difference in pitch between notes. Understanding intervals is key for transposing parts to match the tuning of different instruments. For example, a Bb trumpet sounds a major second below the written pitch.

💡accidentals

Accidentals like sharps and flats alter the pitch of notes. When transposing parts, the accidentals also shift accordingly to maintain the correct intervals. The homework involves transposing musical lines with accidentals.

💡harmony

Harmony refers to notes sounding simultaneously in pleasing ways. Good transposition ensures harmony is maintained across different instruments, like when writing for trumpet and clarinet together.

💡notations

Notations like rests communicate musical information. Scores show the parts for all instruments together, so understanding notation helps track transpositions.

💡structural analysis

Structural analysis examines how musical compositions are organized. The video previews exploring basic analysis in a future lesson, as a branch of deeper music theory.

💡tone

Tone refers to the pitch and quality of instrumental or vocal sounds. Even when transposed, instruments should produce the proper tone for their parts to fit the harmony.

💡tuning

Tuning describes instruments being adjusted to the proper pitch standard. Besides concert C tuning, many orchestra instruments use alternative tunings like Bb, F or Eb that require transposition.

Highlights

There are different groups of orchestral instruments: C instruments (concert pitch), Bb instruments, A instruments, F instruments, and Eb instruments

C instruments like piano, flute, violin sound as written. Other instruments sound lower or higher than written due to constraints of the instrument

Bb instruments like trumpet, saxophone, clarinet sound a major second lower than written. An written C sounds like a Bb

A instruments like trumpet and clarinet sound a minor third lower than written. A written C sounds like an A

F instruments like french horn and english horn sound a perfect fifth lower than written. A written C sounds like an F

Eb instruments like soprano clarinet sound a minor third higher than written. A written C sounds like an Eb

When playing with a Bb trumpet, you'd need to transpose its part down a major second to match concert pitch

Orchestral sections: woodwinds, brass, percussion, keyboards, strings

Woodwinds: flute, oboe, english horn, clarinet, bassoon, saxophone

Brass: french horn, trumpet, trombone, tuba

Percussion: timpani, bells, drums, triangles

Keyboards: harp, piano, harpsichord

Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass

Sheet music shows what each instrument is playing for each beat to coordinate the orchestra

Homework is to transpose 5 composed lines into parts for 4 different instruments to practice transposition

Transcripts

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Takeaways

Q & A

What are the five main groups of orchestral instruments discussed in the video?

Why do some orchestral instruments need to be transposed?

What instruments are part of the C or concert pitch group?

What happens when you play a C note on a B-flat instrument?

Why can a trumpet be both a B-flat and an A instrument?

What instruments are part of the woodwinds section of the orchestra?

What percussion instruments might be found in an orchestra?

Why does the teacher recommend referencing the instrument range chart?

What is the homework assignment at the end of the video?

What will the next video cover?