Blagsheets - WE NEED YOUR HELP!

[christianhenson]

I’m hoping to roll more of these out over the next few weeks and months… this next one I think is going to be invaluable (certainly for me anyway). If you know your theory, or indeed know anyone who does we need help.

View next blagsheet here:

Download BETA here:

Key areas I’m nervous about…

• Ranges, transpositions and “written vs sounding”. This blights all ref materials I have looked at so to unify into a simple one-glance doc would be amazing.

• Suggestions for exemplary repetoire - ideally we will have 4 for each instrument.

1. ensemble example
2. solo example (concerto etc)
3. film example
4. pop example

Anyone who contributes will be credited on the poster and get a free one!

Thanks in advance I’ll be sure to check back here over the next couple of days.

Much love.

Christian xxx

[ed.harper]

A few points/suggestions (including several in areas you didn’t ask for - sorry):

General point on instrument ranges - not easy to implement in this form factor, but it would be nice to have some indication of the parts of the instrument range that are difficult to play/require a pro player, or only available in specific dynamics - I’m thinking of brass upper registers, or the flute lower register

Flute

• Notes - typo “whole”/“hole”
• Solo - Prélude à l’aprés-midi d’un Faune - Debussy
• Ensemble - Planets Suite: Neptune, the Mystic - Holst

Oboe

• Clef - is missing
• Ensemble - Planets Suite: Neptune the Mystic - Holst

Bassoon

• Clef - should be bass. Also, the upper register is sometimes written in the tenor clef (?)
• Notes - typo “it’s”/“its”
• Solo/Film - Ivor the Engine Theme - Elliot
• Ensemble/Film - The Sorcerer’s Apprentice - Dukas

Clarinet

• Image - random minim in top right
• Notes - possibly worth putting in something about the difficulty of “crossing the break”
• Solo - “For I will consider my cat” from Rejoice in the Lamb - Britten arr: I. Holst
• Film/Solo - Baby Elephant Walk - Mancini

Piccolo

• also known as- a matter of personal taste, but could limit the use of this poster in educational settings

• Ensemble - Planets Suite: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Holst

French Horn

• Ensemble - Planets Suite: Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity - Holst
• Film - The Sea Hawk - Korngold

Trumpet

• Notes - maybe worth mentioning the C variant more popular in the US?
• Ensemble/Film - anything by John Williams - Star Wars main title or Raiders’ March?

Trombone

• Notes - typo “it’s”/“its”
• Solo/Film - The Acrobat - Greenwood (film - extract used as the theme for BBC kids’ show “Johnny Briggs”)

Violin

• Solo - The Lark Ascending - Vaughn Williams
• Film/Solo - Schindler’s List Theme - Williams

Viola

• Clef - maybe need some stave to show this is alto rather than tenor clef?

Cello

• Clef/range - the upper register is sometimes written in the tenor clef (?)
• Solo - Cello Suite no.1 (BWV 1007) - J.S Bach

Bass

• Notes - typo “ir”/“or”

Harp

• Ensemble - Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57 / Première partie - Introduction et danse religieuse - Ravel

Xylophone

• Notes - “hit wooden mallets” should perhaps be “hit wooden bars”?
• Ensemble - La danse macabre - Saint-Saëns

[ed.harper]

Missed an obvious one:

Bass

• Film - Jaws main theme - Williams

[ed.harper]

Finally (I promise!) The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra (Op. 34) - Britten works as an ensemble piece for almost all the common orchestral instruments.

[ed.harper]

Aware that I promised finally before, but apparently I can’t restrain myself.

Bass

• Solo - Carnival of the Animals Suite V - The Elephant - Saint-Saëns

EDITED TO ADD

All strings

• Ensemble - Serenade for Strings in E major (Op. 22) - Dvořák

French Horn

• Solo - Horn Concerto No.1 in D Major (K412) - Mozart

[justinb3]

I’m really struggling with this. If it’s to help the composer, the transposition should note the number of semitones you shift to give the notation to the player.

For your Bb instruments, you have -1 semitones, but it’s a whole step. For example, concert F is played in the key of G on a Bb instrument.

Also, you have the names of instruments, but not the name of the instrument in the family as represented. For clarinet and sax, you have Bb without noting that’s a Tenor sax, but Alto sax (super common) Alto Clarinet, and Baritone Sax are all in Eb. (Playing key of D for concert F, for example.

Perhaps this sheet might be best split out into a Brass sheet and a Woodwind sheet?

[rondowriter]

At first glance [string player talking here - so…I am looking for some WW comments here, please]

Most Clarinetists in my experience carry a pair of instruments - one in Bb & the other in A - so you should choose the one that results in the player getting the “best” key signature to play from.

[martinryves]

For the saxophone blagsheet, you have a tenor pictured and the info is for the tenor in B-flat.As mentioned, Eb-flat info. will be different. For the tenor you have a 13 semi-tone transposition.This should be 14 semi-tones. Brilliant idea to have these blagsheets,btw!

[stephen]

As an ex-Trombonist (it’s been a long time since I played), I can attest that it is a difficult one for the intrepid blagger out there. The “tenor trombone” is often known as the Bb trombone because when you play in the closed position (i.e. with the slide pulled up to the top position, nearest the mouthpiece) with a relaxed embouchure (how tightly your lips are pushed together) then it will sound a Bb. This is also often known as the fundamental of the instrument.

So with this name, you might assume that tenor trombone is a transposing instrument and unfortunately you would be both right and wrong. Generally the tenor trombone is known as a non-transposing instrument and is notated in the bass clef.

Bass clef is how you would typically see music notated in for trombones in orchestras, jazz bands, etc. In these cases there is no transposition - when Bb is written it sounds as a Bb, even though it will be (usually) played in the closed position.

The main gotcha is that in British Brass Bands the tenor trombone is typically notated in treble clef and in this case it is transposing - when a C is notated then it will sound as a Bb.

The additional gotcha is that sometimes tenor trombone music will be notated in tenor clef (where a C4 is on the second line from the top) or alto clef (where C4 is on the third line from the top). I believe that in these cases, just like bass clef, the music will be notated without transposition.

The bass trombone is slightly more simple as it is notated in bass clef in all bands and is not transposing.

The ranges of the tenor and bass trombone overlap quite a lot, but you will tend to get a deeper, rounder sound from the bass trombone because the diameter of the tubes (the bore) is wider, allowing more air to flow.

Tenor trombones sometimes have a valve (triggered by the thumb on the hand not on the slide) that extends the lower range of the instrument (and allow some additional options for playing fast passages in different positions). Bass trombones usually have two of these valves to allow it to reach even lower notes.

The top note is technically unlimited bit very hard to play (as it depends on how much pressure you can force air through the instrument by tightening your lips), but most trombonists are going to struggle getting notes above an F₅

This means that the ranges are typically

• Tenor Trombone: E₂ (or C₂ if it has an extra valve) to F₅
• Bass Trombone: B₁ (or A₁ or G₁ with valves) to F₅

I not sure how you will encapsulate all of this on a blagsheet!

[dsorah]

Trumpet: The notated range and text should be concert pitch E3-C6 (or higher). That would translate to written F#3 to D6 for Bb trumpet. It should transpose -2 semitones. I might recommend Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky. The Promenade solo is one of the most famous. For film music, anything John Williams is fantastic. His solo on Summon the Heroes is fabulous. You might include some jazz and/or pop as well such as Louis Armstrong, Tower of Power, or Chicago. There are also variant keys for trumpets such as C, Eb, and piccolo, but you might not want to dive that deep in the lag sheet.

[StephenP]

Saxophones (I play, tenor, soprano and alto)

1. Your photo is of a tenor sax, and the Bb transposition is correct. But ONLY for the tenor and the soprano.

Baritone, alto and Sopranino (very high pitched, quite rarely played) saxophones are pitched in Eb.

2. Ranges - as per your wikipedia quotes in concert pitch, but all saxophones can be played above their standard fingered range, by using altissimo fingerings.

Depending on the instrument and the player, this can often be 5 or 6 semi-tones above the fingered notes. Some jazz players aim for an octave - and several burst blood vessels.

Most saxophones have Keys up to F or F#, the soprano often has a G key.

4. Classic Tunes
   Alto - Baker Street, Gerry Rafferty (played by Raf Ravenscroft)
   Alto- Escapades for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra – John Williams (from Catch Me if You Can)
   Tenor - Giant Steps (John Coltrane)
   Tenor - Money - Pink Floyd (played by Richard Parry)
   Soprano - Englishman in New York - Sting (played by Branford Marsalis)
   Soprano - Songbird (Kenny G)
   Baritone - Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed (played by Ronnie Ross)

[stephen]

I like the suggestion of maybe having one blagsheet per family, e.g. one for brass, one for woodwind, etc. There could be some additional blagsheets that cover non-orchestral instruments to help people who want to work with musicians from other music traditions.

For a complete brass blagsheet it would be good to include the full set of instruments in a British Brass Band, which would add to those already listed (Cornet, Euphonium, Tenor Trombone and Bass Trombone) the following:

• Soprano Cornet
• Flugelhorn
• Tenor Horn
• Baritone Horn
• Eb Bass and Bb Bass (which are styles of Tuba)

Also you may want to add the Sousaphone, which you’ll find in many marching bands (particular in the US) which is a type of tuba with similar range but different tonality due to the bell pointing forward rather than upward, creating a more punchy sound. You can also sometimes find Mellophone in marching bands (which are transposed in F).

There is also a Piccolo Trumpet which you might sometimes get in orchestras.

[Digivolt]

No help on the design side of things but would you consider selling the blagsheets through displate ? Since I discovered them I basically cannot go back to normal posters vs the metal posters they offer Sell your art | Displate - metal posters

[charles.gaskell]

In addition to points already snagged, the lowest note for the oboe is Bb3, not Bb4, and it’s top note is about G6, not G7. Bass oboe is not a common variant, but very uncommon

Cor Anglais (abbreviation can also be CA) range is E3 to A5 to be consistent

Top note of a piccolo is A7, not C8

In written parts, only keyboard instruments use 8va and 8vb signs.

Abbreviations for saxophones are S Sax, A Sax, T Sax, Ba Sax

French Horn is often simply called Horn, and abbreviated Hn You’ve got the Horn sounding notes an octave too high

I thought the normal abbreviation for cornet was cnt, and seem to have given it a one-note range (should be the same as the trumpet)

Bass trombone also has a one-note range. It is never a transposing instrument

Abbreviation for trumpet is tpt. And most trumpet players don’t have a “huge range”

Colliery euphonium players don’t play at concert, they play in Bb

Need to make it crystal clear that ranges (F4 - F4) are written ranges

Top of violin range is too high. Apart from as a soloist, or harmonics, E7, or even B6 is probably safer

String abbreviations are also vln, vla, vlc, db

Viola range in words doesn’t match the given range

Cello is also known as violoncello, not violon-cello. Top of the orchestral range is about A5, not A6 (unless harmonics)

Top written note for the double bass is an octave too low, though this is possibly a bit optimistic anyway

Common variants for all the stringed instruments and harp are wrong (they don’t exist)

Glockenspiel transposes 2 octaves (24 semitones) not one sounding range is G5 - C8, though some instruments go down to C5.

Timpani wrong clef. Composite range is D2 - A3. Worthwhile saying you normally have one of each drum size.

Xylophone sounding range is F4 to C8, all an octave higher than written

I think you could do with separate entries entries for Bass clarinet, vibraphone, marimba and tubular bells - I’d go along with suggestions for separate cheat sheets for woodwind, percussion, brass and strings.

The VSL Academy pages are mostly an accurate online resource Instrumentology | VSL - Academy

[charles.gaskell]

Conrad Pope has the notion of the Cash Register - the register or range of notes where the different instruments sound best - might be a useful thing to have on a crib sheet.

[charles.gaskell]

Personally, I wouldn’t bother mention the difficulty of “crossing the break” - it’s not that important and only really at all difficult for beginners, like playing a melody on a stringed instrument that crosses strings - you practice it and you get better at it!

[ed.harper]

Based on various views given in comments here about instrumental ranges, I’ve done a quick survey of the ranges (and notation intervals) on the blagsheet vs the ranges used by MuseScore 4 (v4.4.2-242570931) vs the ranges on the VSL academy site suggested above by charles.gaskell. (I would also have compared it to a couple of orchestration books, but I have been using the Archive.org library copies - currently offline following their recent cyber-attack.)

Results here (Dropbox). I’ve highlighted in yellow those points which seem to be definitely incorrect in the blagsheet. (It’s also possible I’ve introduced transcription errors of my own, so it’s questionable how much help this really is.)

Whilst this is by no means a comprehensive survey, it’s pretty clear that whilst there are some areas of consensus (e.g lowest note on a violin), in particular the upper limits of many instruments are dependent on the individual instrument (either because of optional modifications or variations in construction intended to extend the range or because of some special quality), the skill of the player, and perhaps other environmental factors.

It might, therefore, be more useful to focus on giving ranges as what should certainly be available, rather than on the theoretical limits of a hero-level instrument in the hands of a virtuoso - which I guess is part of what prompted Christian to start on creating this in the first place. Players are probably the best guide here; unfortunately I can’t help here as I’m not an orchestral player… which leads me to question whether it’s worth posting this, as it’s arguably not really adding anything to the discussion. But having typed it all out, I figure I might as well.

[benhawkins34]

Love the design work. You have some gifted designers working at Crow Hill.

While all horn players are skilled at reading both treble and bass clef, treble clef should be listed as the primary clef used for the French horn. French horn parts are primarily in treble clef (although meander into bass clef when necessary for low tutti parts or for low passages for just the 2nd and 4th horn).

The horn is considered a 4 octave instrument. From Piano F1 (our pedal C) to F5 (our high C above the treble staff). Some can play lower and some higher; but that is a good professional standard. Music is rarely written down to the lowest notes — I would stick to roughly a fourth above the lowest pedal C as the functional lowest note when writing music.

Our lowest note written in horn pitch would be a pedal C (bass clef) and then low C (bass clef) and then middle C (treble clef) and then third space C (treble clef) and then high or top C (treble clef).

Bass clef is often used if the part goes below Piano C3 and hangs out there. For piano C3 to F5, treble clef is used.

I would like to see the graphic of the horn flipped so the bell is on the left. That would show the “front” or pretty side of the horn versus how you have it now, showing what is considered the back of the horn.

Thanks- look forward to seeing final piece!

[david]

Amazing work Christian, and from all these players above.

I’m a piano/organ/synth player, so not much to contribute on the range front (we can play anything!)

One typo throughout: ‘repetoire’ for ‘repertoire’.

In Harp: ‘nobel’ for ‘noble’.

In the ‘Guide to use’: ‘alternate’ should be ‘alternative’. In spite of what (too) many may think, they’re not the same. Alternate means one after another; alternative means substitute/replacement/synonym.

Once it’s compiled, I’d be happy to give it a close proofread/copy edit (my day job). Send me a message.

Cheers,

David

[jamiesheldrick]

This is a great blagsheet idea! Great work on it so far, and great contributions from everybody too!

I think it would be good to be consistent with the formatting of the transposition amount for non-transposing instruments, sticking to ‘0’ rather than having some as ‘0’ and some as ‘-0’.

In terms of repertoire suggestions, I’d highlight Richard Strauss’s Also Sprach Zarathustra for timpani, because I think most people would recognise the famous notes used in 2001: A Space Oddessey. While probably not the most virtuosic piece for timpani, it should serve as a memorable example of how timpani can sound!