Why learn to transpose? Well, how many times have you been on a church gig & moments before the service the Music Minister says, "Oh, by the way, it would be great if you could play along on the hymns, too - so grab a Hymnal."? The trumpet players sometimes reach for their C trumpets, but you, as a horn player, don't have that option. The flexibility of being able to transpose on the spot (often in bass clef) can be the difference between getting called back & not. I once got a church gig because & was willing to play the 3rd horn AND the 3rd trumpet part (not at the same time). I could have "Finale-d" it, but that wouldn't have helped on the tune they passed out at the rehearsal.
As a military musician, I see this kind of thing come up all the time. Sometimes our instrumentation can be flexible, so you could be called upon to cover a euphonium or trombone part, or even the occasional alto sax part. This can happen at a moment's notice if someone is sick or has an emergency on the day of a gig. I once played a brass quartet gig where half the music was written for trombone. The great thing is that if I had been sick, one of the trombone players could have played the gig for me & covered the horn parts, too. Every tool you have in your toolbox makes you a more valuable musician, so why not have as many as possible? Cathryn Cummings www.cathryn.cummings.nu/blog _______________________________________________ post: horn@music.memphis.edu unsubscribe or set options at http://music2.memphis.edu/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
