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I have a small doubt in melody writing of grade 8 standard. The given question is:
Write a 12 bar melody for Clarinet in Bb using the notes of D Mixolydian Mode in written pitch rather than sounding pitch.
My question is: should I write the melody by transposing it a Major 2nd above (i.e. use the notes of E Mixolydian Mode in the case of Clarinet in Bb) to make it sound as D Mixolydian Mode, or just write it as it is?
This is why commas matter. (That, and saving Grandma from cannibalism in the sentence "Let's eat, Grandma!") If the instructions were:
Write a 12 bar melody for Clarinet in Bb , using the notes of D Mixolydian Mode , in written pitch rather than sounding pitch
... then it would be clear[er] that you were to write something that "sounds like" D mixolydian, but to notate in transposition rather than concert pitch.
As Lazy notes, it would be odd for them to request something that is written in D but sounds in C, so that option is unlikely—but it's so unclear that we can't be sure. If you have any way to ask for clarification, you should; the instructions would probably confuse all other test-takers too.
I had to read it a couple of times, but given that it's for B♭ clarinet (a transposing instrument), then written would have to be D Mixolydian (key sig. 1♯).
If it was written in D Mixolydian, then it would sound in C Mixolydian. Not a well phrased question, particularly at grade VIII. In fact, if it's in a trial paper, I'd be contacting the board about the anomaly - it's really a grammatical or punctuation problem.
