I play an arrangement of Kellner's Campanella originally in D major, transcribed down to B major for altoguitar. It really works great and it's a fun piece to play ... very harp-like.

I have been trying some other pieces in B major so I have something else to play as long as I am tuned for that key. I am finding that few things work in this key.

Weiss' Suite No. 2 from the London Manuscript looks to be promising (also original in D major), but the Prelude has a G# (that becomes an E#) that is unworkable. Although, it could be played if the 8th string were the same length as the first seven strings (as James has remarked would be a good change to the altoguitar) If only you could fret that 8th string, it would be so useable!

Another bummer about B major is that pesky A#. If it's the open low bass, that's fine. But if it's the A# on the 5th string, it's very problematic.

I also checked out the Weiss Passacaille (original in D major). This one also must deal with that A#. Very awkward. No wonder Goran Sollscher plays it in A major instead of B major ... although another good reason is so that he doesn't have to change his tuning so much when going from piece to piece.

I think there are some pieces for altoguitar where you don't really need to transpose them down a minor third and they sound just fine higher in pitch. Goran Sollscher plays BWV 996, for example, in the original key of E minor (sounding in G minor). He also plays Air on a G String in D major (sounding in F major). These pieces sound good up a minor third from the original.

So, sometimes if the transposed key down a minor third puts it in a difficult key, keeping it in the same key as 6-string might really be fine.

Just some thoughts.

Hello Glen,

I have the same feeling about retuning.
I really want to keep the tuning just as it is.
This has led to my buying a second nearly identical alto guitar just to have the third string in lute tuning (f#, sounding a) instead of g (sounding a#) as with my first alto guitar.
I am also very reluctant to retune my bass strings, which sometimes makes some peaces impossible for me to play.
But I play them gladly transposed, if I can just keep my tuning.

Sten

Sten,

I know how you feel about not wanting to retune. I just like to know at least two pieces for each tuning. I don't mind retuning as long as I don't do it often. On any given day I will stay in one tuning. Then maybe a couple days later I'll change and play another couple pieces. I just rotate around between tunings.

I have been playing Weiss' London Suite No. 2 Prelude the last two days, reading it in the original key of D major ... but it of course sounds up a minor third to F major. I think it really works well in this key. And I find the higher key actually sounds fantastic.

I use the score here. See "Suite II."
http://jdf.luth.pagesperso-orange.fr/Musiques/Les_manuscrits/Londres/*Le_manuscrit_de_Londres.htm

Glen

Glen,

Your link to the London script seems very interesting.
But when I tried to open the notation of Suite No. 2, then I got an error message that the zip file was invalid and could not be opened.

Sten

Glen,
As I have remarked before, I am not keen on B major, too much retuning, and that sharpened A on the 5th can be, as you note, problematic. My usual solution to dealing with an original baroque D major is to use a transposing key of C, so, one will be playing half a tone high in modern concert pitch. As you know, other than one 10s, all my 10s's are tuned a tone up in F#, consequently, a piece written in C does sound in D. This is useful as it entails no re-tuning and is useful for renaissance pieces(G = 415 c/s, etc.).
James.

Nice suite Glen - thanks for posting. I agree with you that it works well played as is (in D). I haven't studied it fully but I think there are only a few bars in the whole suite that need some arranging but I think for some pieces in D, such as Weiss Passacaglia and Bach's Prelude Fugue and Allegro, I agree with James that the best key is C on an 11 string. That said if pieces are already in good guitar keys I am quite happy to leave well alone and allow the Alto to be a Terz i.e sound 3rd higher.

Bill


Glen wrote:

QUOTE:


I have been playing Weiss' London Suite No. 2 Prelude the last two days, reading it in the original key of D major ... but it of course sounds up a minor third to F major. I think it really works well in this key. And I find the higher key actually sounds fantastic.

I use the score here. See "Suite II."

http://jdf.luth.pagesperso-orange.fr/Musiques/Les_manuscrits/Londres/*Le_manuscrit_de_Londres.htm

Glen