In a folk jam session, when asked which key my non-transposing chromatic instrument (like a violin) is in, what do I answer?

Question

I know of transposing instruments. A transposing instrument is one where the player reads a C, plays a C, and what sounds is the name of the key of the instrument. Those instruments are often referred to with the key in their name, for example Bb trumpet, Bb clarinet, Horn in F, Eb alto saxophone, Bb tenor saxophone. Pieces for these instruments are often transposed.

I know of non-transposing instruments. A non-transposing instrument is something like a piano -- when you read a A on the staff, you play a A and it sounds a concert pitch A (440 Hz). Most string instruments (like violin, viola, cello) fall into this category.

I know of some folk/ethnic instruments, who are restricted to a diatonic scale, and therefore to a particular key. So these instruments really are "in a key"

I play nyckelharpa, which is a string instrument, and for all intents and purposes of my question, could be considered a violin (a distant relative). When I read a C, I play a C, and it sounds like a C. So that makes it a non-transposing instrument, right? It is also a chromatic instrument, which means that I can play in all keys (though some keys a bit more easy than others).

A friend plays soprano saxophone. That is a transposing instrument, pitched in the key of Bb (I looked it up). They asked me, for the purpose of jamming together, in which key I play, and I don't know how to answer that question. They know that I play a folk/ethnic instrument, and may have assumed that it is a diatonic instrument.

Question

When in a folk jam session, they ask me in which key my non-transposing chromatic instrument (like violin or nyckelharpa) is in, what do I answer?

Answer 1

If someone is asking about the key of the instrument, I would answer "I play in concert pitch."

If when jamming, someone asks "what key are you in?" I would say, "I am playing in (name a key) concert pitch." Then everyone else will transpose appropriately. In a group with many transposing and non-transposing instruments, a discussion might be needed to find a key that is nice for every player.

Answer 2

If someone asks you what key you play in, I take it as meaning "name a key". You say what you want, and the others will follow. If you want to jam in F#, you'll tell them "let's play in F#". Each person should know how their transposing or non-transposing instrument behaves and what to do when told to play in F#. If F# is difficult for someone, they can say "F# is difficult for me, can you do F natural instead because that's easier for my Bb transposing soprano megaphone".

To say that your instrument is non-transposing, you can say that it's a C instrument, or "an instrument in C". (According to Wolfgang H. Wikipedia, you can say that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transposing_instrument)

If you want to know what is the usual way to say "C instrument" in some other language, maybe you should ask about that specifically.

Answer 3

If the question is about whether you have a transposing instrument (or not) your answer would be 'I'm in C' or 'I'm concert pitch'. Your soprano sax playing friend would answer 'B♭'. This might occur if someone's handing out sheet music and needs to know whether to give you a transposed copy.

If the question is about what key you prefer to play a song in (or about what key you're already playing it in!) you'd answer 'G', 'D', 'A minor' or whatever it was. You might clarify this even further by saying 'Concert G', reminding them that 'your' key is the actual key. In this situation the soprano sax player might say 'it's in my A, that's concert G'.

And, particularly perhaps as it's an ethnic instrument, the question might really be 'what keys are you comfortable playing in?' If remote keys are an issue, say so.

Is this a real situation or a hypothetical one?

Answer 4

With certainty, you can say that you play in C. This means, as you said, that when you have a C written, you will also hear a C.

A clarinet in A would produce a sounding A when reading/playing a C. A trumpet in B-flat produces a B-flat when reading/playing a C. Thus if you say an instrument plays in 'X', 'X' is the tone produced when he plays his or her C.

Answer 5

Some Irish fiddlers I've played with tuned up their violins a half step and would describe their instruments as being "in F", no matter what key the song was in, and some hardanger fiddlers I've met play in all sorts of weird tunings that heavily favor a certain key or keys.

So, depending on the type of folk music you're playing, this question could have many answers.

I generally agree with the others that your friends are just asking you to play in a certain key, and it's your job to transpose on the fly.

Answer 6

Most instruments can be played in all keys. In a jam session, the key of a piece is important to know, so everyone is playing in that same key!

When playing a transposing instrument (trumpet, clarinet, sax, etc.) adjustments need to be made. For instance, without dots, if the tune to be played is in do, any clarinettist (in si bemol) will have to pretend the tune is in re.

When playing on a non-transposing instrument (violin, piano), you'll play in the key stated.

If it's a jam session with grilles (charts) or dots, they hopefully will be in the correct key for the instrument. So for your 'violin', you'll read standard key that the piece is in. If the piece is in fa, you play in fa, the music is in fa. But any si bemol trumpet player will actually be playing in sol.

I've hopefully 'translated' the answer to make sense!

Answer 7

An instrument isn't "in a key", a piece is. If you are improvising/jamming, you can assume a non-transposing instrument to be in 'C-major', but when playing a piece, you are in the key that the piece is written in (if there is a single flat in the key signature, you are in the key of "F")

I use the key signatures of other instruments' parts to figure out if my sheet is written transposing or non-transposing (i get both, and they aren't always marked as such)

Answer 8

If someone is asking about the key of the instrument, I would answer "I can play in any key", possibly adding "but I'd prefer to jam in [insert favorite key]".

I'd give the same answer even I have play a transposing instrument. In that kind of situation nobody else cares about your transposition. If they say "we'll play this piece in D" and you say "ok, that means I have play in E on my B-flat clarinet", that's just going to confuse things.

It's different if they are handing out parts. Of course you want a transposed part for your B-flat clarinet if they have one, but it's important to also be able to read from parts written in concert pitch if necessary.