



Transposition Inquisition
a study in music literacy and musicality through the performance of short selections in all keys.
​
​
​
​
This project was started in 2019 (modeled after Will Baker's ‘Get Fluent’) in conjunction with my dissertation on sight-reading (Martorano 2019). If you are seeing this series before you have seen "Get Fluent", you should definitely click this link and check it out!!
In an exploratory study, I found that select factors significantly correlating to sight-reading ability (Mishra 2013), were significantly improved using these transposition exercises. Practicing these exercises not only increases fluency but the user’s overall musical expression and performance ability.
Happy Practicing!!!
Mishra, Jennifer. "Factors Related to Sight-Reading Accuracy." Journal of Research in Music Education 61, no. 4 (2013)

Update:
​
-
Study No. 21- This last entry in the series is a real barnburner! Have a great holiday season! [posted December 23rd, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 20- A short, sweet and simple phrase. Enjoy! [posted December 23rd, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 19- 100% Idiomatic of Tyrell's etude writing: a simple idea, presented in the tonic, and then moved to the dominant. I haven't mentioned it in a bit, so BUY THE BOOK! [posted December 5th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 18- Starting in the relative major and ending on the minor, this exercise is going to work your fingers and your mind. [posted November 28th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 17- This simple, yet melodic exercise is a wonderful opportunity to work on phrasing and metering in 3/4. [posted November 21st, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 16- This scalar exercise heavily focus on dominant harmonies; only resolving to the tonic right at the very end. [posted November 21st, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 15- A short excerpt, but a very melodic one. [posted November 14th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 14- This is a great exercise to practice syncopations and rhythmic excellence. [posted November 14th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 13- Not a typical phrase type, but one that will challenge your ability to move between keys (within an exercise). [posted November 7th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 12- a shorter selection, but one ripe for articulation and sound control practice. [posted October 31st, 2022]
​
-
Study No 11- Using the same general 8-bar phrase formate, this etude starts to involve the relative minor key in the middle section. [posted October 31st, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 10- The selection here is of the first ten measures, which serves as an introduction to the main melody. It is an outlier in the phrase construction found below. [posted October 24th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 9- This is another etude, like No. 5, that has a great deal of important phrase markers. If you want the original markings, here is a link to the book. [posted October 24th, 2022]
-
Study No. 8- Something a little more lighthearted and in the flat lands. [posted October 17th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 7- I decided to use m 17-32, as it is much like the first 16 measures but more ornate (and a greater finger workout). Take it slow; strive for ease. [posted October 17th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 6- Always strive for clarity of articulation and note centers, especially here. [posted October 10th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 5- This is one of my favorite etudes, particularly for the style. If you want the original markings, BUY THE BOOK! [posted October 10th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 4- Like Study No. 2, a more of a scalar exercise than an arpeggiated one. [posted October 3rd, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 3- A great arpeggiated exercise with some unique extended harmony (V of iii) and odd leaps. Take it slow. Aim for mastery. [posted October 3rd, 2022]
​​
-
Study No. 2- More of a scalar exercise than an arpeggiated one; a great complement to No. 1 [posted September 26th, 2022]
​
-
Study No. 1- Unlike last semester, which focused on exercises for beginner tuba and euphonium players, this season will focus primary on advanced tuba players (40 Advanced Studies, for Bb Bass- H W Tyrell). I would recommend, if you haven't already, purchasing this book and studying from the original source before continuing here. This is not your grandma's Tyrell! [posted September 26th, 2022]
​
-
Our first exercises of the semester will be uploaded on September 26th, two at a time. This weeks studies are Study No. 1 and Study No. 2 from the "40 Advanced Studies, for Bb Bass- H W Tyrell" [posted September 20th, 2022]​​