[Dixielandjazz] Lead Sheets for Trumpet

[Phil Wilking]

The standard trumpet or cornet (also clarinet, saxophone, etc.) is a 
"transposing instrument." The one commonly used in jazz bands is a "B-Flat" 
instrument. This means that its natural pitch when no valves are used is a 
B-Flat, due to the length of the vibrating air column in the pipe (quite 
long if you were to straighten it). The player of a transposing instrument 
is used to looking at sheet music which is itself written (transposed) to 
induce the player in a group to produce the pitches of the key of the 
non-transposing instruments such as the piano. So the trumpeter looks at a 
"C" on his page and plays what is actually a whole toner lower in pitch: a 
B-Flat. I have been told the reason for this convention is to reduce the 
number of ledger lines the player must use for the higher or lower pitches.

Bb transposition is relatively easy if you are hand-writing something, just 
move everything up one tone on paper. It really gets "interesting" when you 
add Eb, Ab, and F instruments in a "conductor's score."

All of this comes into play with instrumental numbers played by a band. Now 
add that much sheet music is "keyed" to sound good instrumentally without 
regard to vocalists' ranges. More times than not to accompany a vocalist, 
they will have to transpose the whole tune a musical fifth or fourth to keep 
it in the vocalists' range.

In your specific example, you want the tune in non-transposed ("concert") 
Bb. To be led to play Bb stuff, the trumpeter wants his part transposed UP a 
whole tone to C. Then his trumpet will mechanically retranspose the sound 
produced DOWN the same whole tone to your Bb. A song to be sung in concert F 
key will need to have the trumpet part written in the key of G, which the 
instrument will render as standard F.

Phil Wilking - K5MZF
www.nolabanjo.com

Those who would exchange freedom for
security deserve neither freedom nor security.

-----Original Message----- 
From: Barb Jordan

I am hoping someone on the list can enlighten me about keys for trumpet 
players who accompany vocalists.

I sing a number of songs that a trumpet player I know cannot play without 
seeing the notes for trumpet.

For example I sing St. Louis Blues in B flat and he  says he needs a lead 
sheet in Trumpet C.

I had not heard of trumpet C as opposed to just the key of C. Are they the 
same key?

What he has explained to me is that the key he needs to play in is different 
for the trumpet than my vocal key.
So for songs that I sing in the key of F , he would play in a different key 
on the trumpet - the key for vocal F I do not know.
I hope I have made myself understood and welcome any help!
Thanks!

Barbara Jordan
Burlington Ontario Canada