Rhapsody
APDL/ProAction
Shifting and Transposing
It is very important to understand the difference between shifting and transposing.
When you use the shift routine on a marked block of a score, the notes are shifted up or down a certain number of lines and spaces on the score. Any accidentals applied to the notes remain unaltered. In general, this will not make musical sense but there is one case when it is essential. If you decide to change the clef in which part of a score is written; for example, if you decide to change a section of cello music, originally written in the bass clef, to tenor clef, you will need to shift the notes down by 4 lines, (ie 4 lines or spaces!)
When you transpose a stave or a score, you move the whole pitch of the music up or down so many semitones. This causes the key-signature to change, the notes themselves to move, and in many cases it causes accidentals to change (eg sharps may become naturals when moving into a 'flatter' key. All of this is handled automatically by Rhapsody's transpose routine.
It should be clear from the above discussion that while shifting may be applied to the whole or part of a score, transposing is only relevant for a complete stave or score. You will therefore find the shift option only in the 'Block' menu while the transpose option is only found in the 'Score' and 'Stave' menus.
Some examples of the use of the shift and transpose routines follow.
Changing the clef of a few bars or a whole stave
Mark the relevant bars using the block markers.
Click Menu on the score; follow the arrows after 'Block' and 'Shift to.
The Shift window
Use the Select and Adjust buttons to increase or decrease the number of lines by which the notes are to be shifted (negative numbers mean down of course); then click on OK and the notes will be shifted.
Do not forget to insert the relevant clef both before and after the shifted block!
The following table gives the amount of (upward) shift required to go from a higher clef to a lower one. To go in the other direction, simply use a negative shift.
- Treble to Alto 6
- Treble to Vocal Tenor 7
- Treble to Instrumental tenor 8
- Treble to Bass 12
- Alto to Vocal tenor 1
- Alto to Instrumental tenor 2
- Alto to Bass 6
- Vocal tenor to Instrumental tenor 1
- Vocal tenor to Bass 5
- Instrumental tenor to Bass 4
Copying a complex phrase at a different pitch
In many pieces of music (particularly baroque music) a certain figure will be repeated over and over again in different parts at different pitches. If you are entering the music on the screen, you can use the other four available scores to hold these well used phrases. When you need one, shift it to the right pitch, then copy it into the score wherever it is required.
Transposing a part for another instrument
The details of the whole complex business of transposing instruments are outside the scope of this manual, but if you want to transpose a part which is written for a Clarinet in A into an part which can be played on a Bb clarinet, you need to transpose it down one semi-tone. To do this, click Menu on the stave you wish to transpose, move over 'Stave' and 'Transpose' to...
The Transpose window
Use Select and Adjust as usual to set the number of semitones to -1, then click on OK.
To transpose a complete score
Suppose you wish to transpose a complete work for chorus, written in E major into the key of D major so that it is easier to sing. Click Menu on the score; choose 'Score' and Transpose' and open the transpose window; set the number of semitones to -2 and click on OK. !f the score being transposed has no key signature in it (ie it is in C major), then a new key signature will be provided. All naturalised key signatures are, of course, treated like C major key signatures.
APDL/ProAction