Hi, I record folks and mix and master them. I have many instrements but i don't pride myself on playing them. I pride myself on helping artist realize their musical ideas in recorded form.

Anyways, even though i'm not an instrementalist, I have collected many instrements simply for the purpose of recording people that I invite to the house/studio. So over the years I have learned to play piano, guitar/bass, drums, use MPC, samplers and synths. I have also learned quite a bit about msic theory. It helps to speak the same language as the artists when we are recording so i try to play instrements and learn theory and stay cultured.

Anyways, I recently produced a saxophone players album. As always, my fee is that I get to feature them on one of my songs for free. Well i loved what this saxophone player added to my otherwise hip hop/ electro /synth type music. I liked the sound so much, that I bought a saxophone. A saprano. I just went out, found it, and bought it no questions asked.

Now i am stuck. Yesterday i learned the difference between concert tuning and b flat tuning. I guess my sax is a b flat instrement. Problem is, i looked up finger charts and what it says is b flat, is actually C natural on my piano (an upright that i bought just as impulsively as the sax)
All the notes are in tune but they are different notes. My G is not a G, its an A.

I write the music out first. I take what other elements of the song are playing and improv against it with guitar (the instrement that feels most natural for improving, to me) when I find some nice notes that i like casted across the backing track, I write what notes they are and basically i notate my guitar licks so i can play them on sax. But the finger charts notes don't match my piano notes?

what should i do? What link do i need, what book do i need to read? what pivotal lesson in theory have i skipped? Why does the finger chart say something is a E when actually it is an F sharp?

Good thing you didn't get an Alto Sax. You'd be really whacked out mentally.

Different instruments are in different key based on their length and bore. The soprano sax is a Bb instrument. This means when you play the lowest open note on it, it sounds Bb.

When you write using the piano or guitar, don't worry. But when you are done just transpose it, you can do this by site or write it out on paper.

So to transpose it what do i do?

Write it out regular and then transpose all the notes up one full step?

With transposing instruments the written C sounds the 'key note'. So your soprano in Bb sounds a tone lower than written. Thus the music needs to be written a tone higher.

On alto sax (Eb) written C sounds the Eb below.

You are on the right track. Just remember the relationship. You are playing a Bb transposing instrument. One whole step above is concert C. So everything you play must be transposed up a whole step to match concert key. If you want to play in concert F play in G on your soprano.

It may take a little mind blurb of an adjustment but you will do fine.

Don Manuel - dmin7b5
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http://buy-saxophones-online.com

Honestly, tranposing music is hard for most all instrumetalists. The real trick is to learn the keys of each instruments and know how to tranpose.

Say you have a piano piece that you want to play with a soprano saxophone. The piano piece has a Bb and an Eb in it's key signature. for a Bb instrument (soprano sax, clarinet, trumpet, tenor sax), for it to sound the same, your key signature would have only an F#. Also, a Bb instrument is a whole step higher than a C ("Concert") tuned instrument, such as piano flute trombone and tuba. Don't worry about it, when tranposing music, just remember that you have to change the key signature and bring the notes a whole step higher. If you need any more help, don't feel bad to message me. (: