Posted by Mary Ann on August 19, 2003 at 14:47:48:
In Reply to: Re: French Horn Transposition Question posted by John Swadley on August 17, 2003 at 14:54:12:
you're right, on all of it. It will depend which edition he has, whether the bass clef is new or old notation; I would suggest he listen to a recording to see where the part goes so that he can choose the proper octave to transpose it to.
And yes...the more clefs you read the better off you are. I was recently asked to read a horn part on viola...and the arranger was grateful that he didn't have to print out a new part for me in alto clef. You can have a lot more playing opportunities if people know you can read whatever they throw at you, and it's good mental exercise to boot!
I read horn parts on F tuba all the time; the fingerings are just down an octave from what I'd play on the F horn. Bass clef does get more interesting because I'm used to reading C bass clef on tuba...and of course the horn bass clef is in F, and I do admit that sometimes my brain gets scrambled and can't remember which darn clef it is reading, and some downright strange notes come out the bell.
MA