Transposing Sheet Music in Minor Keys for Alto Sax

[Anonymous]

If piano is in C, then sax is in A.
The relative minor of piano C is piano harmonic minor A,
the relative minor of Sax A is sax harmonic minor F#.
So a piano in harmonic minor A is a Sax in harmonic minor F#.
Which is a difference of 3 half steps.

[john]

chipper, what you say is correct, but I think you misunderstood Michael…
not talking about relative keys, talking about doing a straight ahead transposition…I think?
If so you are correct also michael.

[Michael]

I see what you mean there, but what I was seeing if I got correct was that I have sheet music for the Alto Sax that is played in C minor–that would mean the backing track would need to be in Eb minor–a difference of 3 half steps just like you said. I have sheet music for the following song of “Spooky” and I’m looking at having a backing track made for it. Listening to the song, it sounds like Eb minor. I’m having produced a backing track for this same song in Fm (the same key that the Classics IV did their vocal version in with Mike Shapiro on Tenor) which means for Tenor I will play it in Gm—it’s got a killing sax solo 🙂

http://youtu.be/rf3jGU4PUws

[Anonymous]

cool track Baboon!

[john]

this song’s in Cminor so your track needs to be in Cminor and you’ll play it in Dminor on your tenor and Aminor on alto.

[Michael]

Thanks Johnny–I got the sheet music from mysolospot.com–the sheet music is in C minor and he said it was in the right key, which is why I was asking what key the song itself was in, but he must have misunderstood what I was trying to ask—I’m not always the best with trying to put words on cpu. He didn’t transpose it to the key I would need for Alto then, I thought he had already done that.
I am having this track produced in Fm too as done by the Classics IV in their Vocal version (that was the key they did their vocal version in). I will be doing an Alto and Tenor version of this song; great to Improvise in 2 different keys. I can play the solo and lyrics on Tenor in Gm–this key is very easy to work with too. I just will need to create some Improvisation when I get the backing track because it’s going to be an Instrumental version like the original release with the same “feel, essence” but in they key of Fm. I will use the Cm key when I do it in Alto, just like the original but with my own Improvisation in it where needed.

[Michael]

I took a look at the transposed sheet music given to me for Alto Sax and he actually transposed it to Em and not Cm like I said (just got the Alto sheet music yesterday and looked at it once, memory is not always reliable). So that means his transposition is WAY off by 5 semi-tones from Am—I’m wondering if someone gave him a file for the song that was in another key and transposed it accordingly? They would have given him a backing track that was in Gm for him to transpose it to Em….weird. How confusing LOL

[Anonymous]

i can see the confusion, if you don’t do a lot
of transposing it is quite easy to mix them up
and transpose up 3 half steps instead of
down 3 half steps – or the other way round.
I’ve done it myself.
Some music sheets specificaly say the piece
is written in ‘CONCERT’ C for example, so that
people with transposing instruments know
they have to transpose it and play it.
I went in my local music shop, and asked
for a piece of sheet music, they went online,
found it, asked me what key i wanted it in &
they transposed it to my key, printed it off and
it cost me 1/4 the price of a standard music
book – not cheap!

[Michael]

I bought the Alto lines for “Spooky” and typically Curtis at mysolospot.com transposes his work in the key that you would need to play the Sax lines in, so that’s why I was asking about the concert key for getting a backing track produced for this great song. Why the sheet music I got for the sax lines to play it in Alto were not transposed to the key that we would play the Sax lines in I’m not sure. If the sax lines themselves were in Cm, that would mean that the track would have to be in Eb minor and that’s the question I was asking; but like Johnny brought out the track itself is in Cm–so why he transposed the Alto Sax lines in Cm v.s. Am like they should be I don’t know–maybe someone had given him an mp3 file for the song that was in a different key? Curtis with mysolospot.com has transcribed something like over 8,000 sax solos–his list of solos/sax lines is really extensive. You can find just about anything you need and if he doesn’t have what you need then he can transcribe it for you. His work is really good. Back in the fall I had bought the sax lines for “Spooky” in Tenor and then before going to NM I learned the lyrics too–the key of Gm for Tenor (the song by the Classics IV is Fm meaning Gm for Tenor) is very easy to work with and I love the sound of this key. So the create an Instrumental version of Spooky in Tenor I just need to create some Improvised Sax lines along with a Custom Backing Track I’m having made and there you go! Should be great fun to do as a video.

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