As I spend time relearning things that have gotten out of practice, I am having to write articles here so I can have quick access to them.
Transposition on the trumpet is one of the most important skills that an orchestra musician can have in their tool belt. It is an absolute must. Orchestral music was written with the instruments of the time and area. With the advent of the piston trumpet/cornet, there is very little use of older style instruments. At times conductors will ask for them simply for the timber that they produce to help make an authentic artistic representation of the piece. Keep in mind, my music history knowledge is very limited and is essentially limited to the Norton Anthology.
Here is some important information that you need to know when you get a piece of music and are not sure what you need to do. I do not speak multiple languages, but I can make out most tempo markings and instrumentation on a score.
| Language | Instrument | Keys | Other |
| English | Trumpet | C,D,Eb,E,F,G,Ab,A,Bb,B | major, minor, flat, sharp |
| Italian | Tromba | DO,RE,MIb,MI,FA,SOL,LAb,LA,Sib,Si | maggiore, minore, bemolle, diesis |
| Frensh | Trompette | UT,RE,MIb,MI,FA,SOL,LAb,LA,Sib,SI | majeur, mineur, bemol, diese |
| German | Trompete | C,D,Es,E,F,G,As,A,B,H | dur, moll, is, es |
I have attached a PDF from Wikipedia with a full list of these, but these are the most common ones that I have come across.
