Instruction Manual

779
The Meter/Key View
Notation and Lyrics
3. Edit the meter/key change properties.
4. Click OK.
SONAR changes the properties of the meter/key change.
Music Notation for Non-concert-key
Instruments
For historical reasons, certain musical instruments are traditionally notated
in a transposed key rather than the actual key. For example, a normal (Bb)
trumpet part is written in the key one whole step higher than the actual
concert key, and an Eb alto sax part is written a major sixth higher.
Musicians have traditionally learned to read and refer to the notes they play
using the proper transposition interval for their instrument.
SONAR supports these non-concert instrumental keys through use of the
Key+ control in the Track view. Simply enter or record the notes into the
instrument's track transposed as the musician would expect them, and then
set the proper transposition interval in the Key+ control to make it play in the
correct key. For example, a Bb trumpet track should have all its notes a
whole note higher than concert pitch, and should have Key+ set to -2 to
transpose it two chromatic steps back down. Remember, not all trumpets
are Bb instruments!
To Notate a Bb Trumpet Part
1. Record or enter the notes using the pitches that the musician who will
be reading the part needs to see. For example, if the non-transposing
instruments are playing in the key of C, a Bb trumpet player needs to
see the notes a whole step higher—the key of D. The instrument itself
sounds a whole step lower than concert pitch, so when a Bb trumpet
plays in the key of D, it sounds in the key of C.
Now that the pitches appear the way that the trumpet player needs to
see them, the problem is that when you play your project, the MIDI
notes in the trumpet track sound a whole step too high.
2. In the Track view, force SONAR to play the trumpet track a whole step
lower by entering -2 (negative 2) in the Key+ field and pressing Enter.
Now the trumpet part in the Staff view appears in the key of D—SONAR
automatically adds two sharps to the trumpet track’s key signature—but the
track sounds in the key of C because you entered -2 in the Key+ field (you
may need to close the Staff view and reopen it to see the new key
signature). The Staff view automatically transposes the key signature for
each track according to the track's Key+ value. Multiple tracks appear and