The Guitar is a Transposing Instrument
(A jargon laden rap probably incomprehensible to anyone but musicians)


FAQs:

“What is a transposing instrument?”
Transposing in this context means that notation for some musical instruments is not written where the notes actually sound. When playing a notated C Natural on a B-Flat trumpet, the note players are trained to blow is actually a B-Flat. It gets worse. Improvising on an E-Flat Saxophone in an ensemble, the player will ask the pianist what key the tune is in (say the key of A major). E-Flat is C so F Sharp would be the correct key for the Sax to play along in A.

As the song goes: “I’m my own grandpa!”

“WHAT? I’ve been playing the guitar for forty years, and it is not a transposing instrument!”
Sorry. But the fact is when a guitarist plays the C on the third space of treble clef, the note actually sounding is middle C (the ledger line between treble and bass clefs). Guitar notation transposes an octave above concert pitch.

When Carlos Santana is screaming those oh so high notes way up the neck, in concert pitch he is actually only getting to the top of the treble clef. Standard guitar notation would put him many ledger lines above the staff, but it’s just a mirage created by whoever decided guitar music should transpose an octave. The low E string of the guitar is notated below the third ledger line under treble clef, but actually sounds a staggering 7 ledger lines below the staff (or one ledger line below bass clef).

As the song goes: “Don’t Bogart that joint, my friend.”

WHAT? That’s wack!
Personally, I would prefer guitar be written in concert pitch using two staffs the way piano music is. The thinking probably is that it’s easier to read and write the music in one clef. So, they cram over 3 octaves into a one octave staff? To me, the complication of learning to read bass clef would be a lot simpler than dealing with all those ledger lines. When I rule the universe, that’s the way it’s going to be. So, get ready!

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