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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?

Elements In Space
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SRIRAM M
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    The answer to your question is found in this clause of the assignment: "using the notes of D Mixolydian Mode in written pitch rather than sounding pitch." – phoog Oct 27 '22 at 20:27
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    @phoog I think this question exists because it’s not clear how that clause answers the question. I also don’t see how that clause answers the question. To me it’s ambiguous whether the question is looking for music that sounds like it’s in D mixo or looks like it’s in D mixo. – Todd Wilcox Oct 27 '22 at 21:09
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    @ToddWilcox I think it would be quite weird to have an assignment demand you to notate transposing, but then specify the key already transposed. This kind of makes the demand for transposing notation futile. So I presume it’s the first one ... – Lazy Oct 27 '22 at 21:36
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    @Lazy - My natural assumption is actually the second one, not the first one - sounding pitch is (or at least should be) the same as concert pitch. Since they don't want concert pitch, all I can assume is that the assignment wants written D mixolydian, which will be sounding/concert C mixolydian. – Dekkadeci Oct 28 '22 at 03:18
  • @Dekkadeci - If that was the right interpretation, why would it matter that it's a Bb clarinet? – Elements In Space Oct 28 '22 at 03:38
  • @ElementsinSpace - The Bb clarinet mention would be to both make the "written pitch rather than sounding pitch" mention make sense and to enforce that the melody should not involve 2 or more notes playing at the same time (a common mistake I have found in solo wind instrument sheet music in the Musescore website). The question could mention an (E flat) alto sax instead and make just as much sense, even if it involves writing the same melody for both for full marks. – Dekkadeci Oct 28 '22 at 05:37
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    @Dekkadeci But then one could simply say: Write a melody in D Mixolydian, as long as it fits the range, which is not much of a concern if we talk about clarinets. Since it is so specific that one should notate transposing instead of sounding I suppose they want you to actually transpose the part. – Lazy Oct 28 '22 at 08:56
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    @ToddWilcox "using the notes of D Mixolydian Mode in written pitch" seems pretty unambiguous to me. "Rather than sounding pitch" just seals the deal. The standard terminology is that "written X" means that there's an X written on the page, which means that (for a B-flat instrument) "sounding X" means that there's an X-plus-one-whole-tone written on the page. I know that not everyone knows this, but then to ask "should I write the melody [in] E Mixolydian Mode" after being told "notes of D Mixolydian Mode in written pitch [not sounding as D mixolydian]" just seems inexplicable. – phoog Oct 28 '22 at 21:54
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    @phoog I play clarinet (and French horn) so I understand transposition quite well. In your last comment you added [not sounding as D mixolydian] to a quote and to me that’s making an assumption that isn’t clear. I don’t find it to be unambiguously worded and it’s not because I’m ignorant of any aspect of music or the English language that’s relevant. It’s because my brain and interpretation are different from yours. You seem feel like the assignment is worded clearly, which is totally understandable and valid. I and the asker are not so sure, and I believe our view is also valid. – Todd Wilcox Oct 29 '22 at 01:52
  • So @phoog do you think that my Melodic excerpt should sound in C Mixolydian Mode ? In that case the question makes very less sense. Anyways thanks for your suggestion ! – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 04:32
  • That's the same dilemma for me too @ToddWilcox – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 04:34
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    A satisfying answer from @Dekkadeci. I also just now checked the other sample questions and found the answers not transposed. So I think that the question most probably demands written D Mixolydian rather than sounding D Mixolydian. But I have to be more sure about it since this section holds 15 marks. Anyways thank you so much ! – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 04:38
  • Still the dilemma runs in my mind @Lazy. I don't know what to do. – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 04:41
  • This question is going bonkers all the way. Some tell me to write in D Mixolydian and the others tell me to write in E Mixolydian. But I really enjoy this healthy argument between phoog and ToddWilcox. The points of both of you are valid in my opinion – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 06:07
  • @SRIRAMM There is definitely some space for interpretation here. – Lazy Oct 29 '22 at 07:50
  • If the instructor asks for written, it's what you would see on the page. Sounds pretty clear cut to me or maybe I'm missing something. :) – RosieB Oct 28 '22 at 05:16

2 Answers2

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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.

Andy Bonner
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    Oh, that's how it happened... Poor grandma... – Tom Oct 27 '22 at 22:20
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    I actually don't find it odd at all for them to request something written in D but sounding in C when they explicitly want "the notes of D Mixolydian Mode in written pitch", not sounding pitch or concert pitch. I'd only expect to need to transpose the written notes to E Mixolydian if the instructions were to use sounding pitch or concert pitch D Mixolydian instead. – Dekkadeci Oct 28 '22 at 03:24
  • Thank You @Andy Bonner. Yeah I have raised my question to the board so that it won't be problematic for the other test takers too ! – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 18:34
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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.

Tim
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  • Thank You @Tim. I prefer your answer to be right. Still for further confirmation, as you told, I have raised this question to the board to solve this problem. Anyways thanks for your time ! – SRIRAM M Oct 29 '22 at 18:36