The Cyclic System of Transposition for Trumpet

The study of transposition is of great importance to prospective composers, arrangers, conductors and performance majors studying orchestral instruments. This is due to the fact that the subject is central to the content of almost every performance-oriented course in the collegiate instrumental music curriculum. Having witnessed the level of frustration and confusion suffered by most neophyte trumpet students, and finally admitting my own ineptness with the subject, I started an in depth study of transposition over thirty years ago with the intent of resolving my own misconceptions about the subject. This study led to the development of a system of transposition that I could easily understand one that would apply to all trumpets and would answer all of my questions pertaining to transposition. My study revealed the following factors as root causes of my misconceptions about transposition. In subsequent years, I found these same factors to be the cause of frustration and misconception for the average student regarding the subject of transposition; specifically: 1. The misconception that instruments transpose. 2. The misunderstanding about the differences between written and sounding pitch. 3. Transposition is defined and approached differently by teachers who specialize in different music disciplines. 4. For most music students and professionals, transposition is regarded as a theoretical process. For the prospective and professional orchestral trumpeter, transposition is a performance skill, of which mastery is ultimately required. To confirm the level of confusion on the subject of transposition, one has only to google Trumpet Transposition to be confronted with a number of different methods and approaches used by professional musicians, and some of their confusion about the subject. The Cyclic System of Transposition for Trumpet incorporates the more salient approaches and concepts of transposition systems that can be used effectively for any pitched trumpet.