Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
I think Noel is closer to the right answer, but I would not adjust the concert pitch as the remedy here. It will fix this song but mess up all your other songs, because I think that value sticks.


Hi Matt and thank you for your very detailed and helpful reply. I did try Noel's suggestion, but I am bearing in mind your advice that it may have to be re-adjusted for other tunes. However, as you'll see from my reply to Noel, there is still a mis-match to my ears between the playback and my melody on the tenor.

Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
...if your fakebook has a song in the key of G, the song is actually in Concert F but BIAB is still playing it in G because that's what you entered. When you then read along with your tenor, your tenor sound is one full step (two half-steps) low.


I find this confusing because I had assumed (wrongly, it seems) that the key signature and the chords were written to match when played on a Bb instrument. If so, then why would I need to adjust anything when setting them in to BIAB?

Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
So, since you've already entered the song from Bb instrument sheet music, first transpose your song down one whole step (example G to F, or C to Bb).


The tune (Naima) is in Bb in the real Book, so I transposed it to Ab. As with Noel's method, it's still not quite right, but probably as close as I am going to get it. I tried several other options, including the relative Minor keys, but they sounded worse.

Originally Posted By: Matt Finley
Then use one of several ways in BIAB to tell the program you want to see sheet music adjusted for tenor sax (but not change the pitch of playback). This happens to be +14 half-steps in the pull-down, since a tenor sax sounds an octave and a major second lower than written, or in other words, a ninth lower. Depending on the resulting range of the song, you can also try +2 which works for soprano sax or trumpet, other instruments pitched in Bb.


I am really struggling with this. Could you please walk me through how to set this, as I can't find the pull down you mentioned. Also, is this the missing link, or should the backing be in tune with the instrument by making the transpose adjustment alone without this extra setting? I'm hoping you'll say it does make the difference. smile

Of course, as mentioned to Noel, the real issue might be the chords themselves (some quite complex ones for this tune: Dbmaj7/C; C13b9; BMaj7/F; etc. I am going to try a simpler tune in a major key without the 'jazz chords' to see how that works.

Thanks again for your invaluable input.

Stephen