Transposing Bassoon to Bari. Sax part?

Question:I know the rule for transposing bassoon to baritone saxophone is supposed to be subtract 3 flats and add 3 sharps but i still don't understand it. what if the bassoon part doesn't have any flats...do i just have 3 sharps?

or what if it has 2 flats...do i have 1 sharp or no sharp? AHH this is so confusing. Any help in detail would be greatly appreciated.

by the way i'm going from bass clef to treble clef if your wondering.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I know the rule for transposing bassoon to baritone saxophone is supposed to be subtract 3 flats and add 3 sharps but i still don't understand it. what if the bassoon part doesn't have any flats...do i just have 3 sharps?

or what if it has 2 flats...do i have 1 sharp or no sharp? AHH this is so confusing. Any help in detail would be greatly appreciated.

by the way i'm going from bass clef to treble clef if your wondering.

A bari sax is pitched in e-flat. It sounds an octave plus a major sixth (M6) below written pitch--essentially an octave below an alto saxophone.
So, this means when you play an e-flat major scale, it sounds like concert c major. Concert C is a M6 interval above E-flat major.
A bassoon is CONCERT PITCH. This means it does NOT transpose. It sounds in concert pitch. So, in order to play a bassoon part on a bari saxophone, you must transpose the written pitch of the part UP a major sixth + an octave.

For example...
Say the bassoon key is in G major (1 sharp). A major sixth above G is E. Go up another octave, which is still E.

Be careful when transposing this, because it could cause potential range problems for you....especially when the bassoon part goes below it's bass clef staff.
I would suggest that you sit down with a pencil and staff paper and write out the transpositions, keeping in mind of your range, and take it to your band director and have them check it.

The easiest thing to do is just to read the original bassoon part, but read it as if it were treble clef. That is, if the bassoon part has an F in bass clef, just read it as an D in treble. Then, add the 3 sharps.
So, if your key signature already has 3 sharps, add 3 more to make six. If part has 3 flats, then add 3 sharps to completely neutralize the key signature. This way you can use the original part.