I have a whole song where the left hand plays on lower ledger lines all along. When i change the bass clef to octave bass clef nothing happens with the pitches.
I want to avoid 8vb --------- during the entire song, but still hear it in correct pitch while writing in Sibelius.
And I'm afraid the '8 down' bass clef has no effect on playback. (It might not have much effect on a live player either, it's not often used and might be overlooked.)
Pianists are accustomed to ledger lines below (as are flute players to ones above). But if you're sure octave-transposed notes are the answer, and don't want an 8vb line, you could create a new instrument, based on Piano but with playback an octave down.
The Sibelius developers were firm in their opinion that the 'treble8' and 'bass8' clefs should NOT transpose. I never quite saw how this was different to saying the C clefs (or, indeed the bass clef) shouldn't affect pitch - everything should play as if it were treble clef. But so it is...
The little 8 beneath any octivating clef has no effect by itself. You have to change the transposition in Edit Instrument. Edit Written middle C sounds as C in octave 3. Do this for both the score and the part. This is already the default for string bass or bass guitar. But you cannot do this just for the left hand of the piano because the right hand will also sound an octave lower. You will need to make an instrument change on the piano left hand staff to string bass or bass guitar, tho' this is how it will sound on playback. Alternatively you can create a piano instrument with this transposition, then manufacture a 2-staff piano in the score made from both instruments. Is it not easier just to use an 8vb line?
Posted by Laurence Payne - 13 Aug 15:24
Pianists are accustomed to ledger lines below (as are flute players to ones above). ============================
You CAN have a different sound on the two staves of a piano part - turn off the Preference 'Use same slot for all staves of keyboard instruments'. But if you can live with the limitation of no transposed note-click playback, and having to start playback from the beginning of the line to get its effect, an 8vb line seems the best solution. Remenber, it still works if hidden...
Yes, as a player I was often handed jazz and commercial Trombone I parts all on 'telegraph poles'. And it did occur to me 'these guys can read all those complicated rhythms and hit a high F, but they can't cope with tenor clef?' Tradition is a wonderful thing.
I started life as a cornet player, Laurence. When I decided to amaze myself with a trombone, I learned the corresponding slide positions to the cornet-trumpet valve combinations. So I was effectively teaching myself Bb treble clef trombone which meant having to transpose bass clef parts up a major 9th. This was fairly easy as I was already proficient in copying tenor sax and bass clarinet parts from concert scores, and can do so on auto pilot. Tenor clef is no problem either. I just think Bb treble clef pitch and lose 2 flats.
Other way round for me. Piano lessons, then after a flirtation with trumpet I moved to trombone, in bass, tenor and alto clefs. Played orchestra, Big Band but never really encountered 'brass band treble' until my years as a teacher. If anything, I think I read it as 'tenor minus two flats'. Soon, of course, you 'just read it'.
I think trombone is the only instrument that requires the player to be able to read in five different clefs & notations, bass, tenor, alto, treble actual pitch (when the legers get ridiculous) and treble transposed (brass band). Then there's old German style Bb euphonium in transposed bass clef. That really screws me!
Yes, seems to me that more writers play trombone than any other instrument. Don't know if that is because trombonists love to write or writers choose to play trombone. In my case it's the latter, having started as a cornet/trumpeter, graduating to saxes & woodwind before discovering that trombone was really meant for me.
