Transpose a note
Sounds as
Concert E flat
| Instrument | Reads |
|---|---|
| Concert pitch (piano) | E flat |
| Flute | E flat |
| Oboe | E flat |
| Bassoon | E flat |
| Clarinet in B flat | F |
| Bass clarinet in B flatSounds an octave lower than the clarinet | F |
| Alto saxophone in E flat | C |
| Tenor saxophone in B flatSounds an octave lower than the trumpet | F |
| Baritone saxophone in E flatSounds an octave lower than the alto sax | C |
| Trumpet or cornet in B flat | F |
| French horn in F | B flat |
| Trombone | E flat |
| Baritone or euphonium, bass clef | E flat |
| Baritone or euphonium, treble clef (B flat)Sounds an octave lower than the trumpet | F |
| Tuba | E flat |
| Bells (glockenspiel)Sounds two octaves higher than written | E flat |
What concert pitch means
Concert pitch is the note that actually sounds, the same as a piano key. Some instruments read music at concert pitch. Others are transposing instruments: the note they read and finger is not the note that sounds. The instrument's key name tells you which written note sounds as concert pitch C.
- A B-flat instrument (clarinet, trumpet, tenor sax) reading C sounds a concert B-flat.
- An E-flat instrument (alto sax, baritone sax) reading C sounds a concert E-flat.
- An F instrument (French horn) reading C sounds a concert F.
Which instruments transpose
| Instrument | Key | A written C sounds as |
|---|---|---|
| Flute, oboe, bassoon | C (concert pitch) | C |
| Trombone, baritone (bass clef), euphonium (bass clef), tuba | C (concert pitch) | C |
| Bells (glockenspiel) | C, written two octaves below the sound | C |
| Clarinet | B-flat | B-flat, a whole step lower |
| Bass clarinet | B-flat | B-flat, an octave and a whole step lower |
| Trumpet, cornet | B-flat | B-flat, a whole step lower |
| Tenor saxophone | B-flat | B-flat, an octave and a whole step lower |
| Baritone (treble clef), euphonium (treble clef) | B-flat | B-flat, an octave and a whole step lower |
| Alto saxophone | E-flat | E-flat, a major sixth lower |
| Baritone saxophone | E-flat | E-flat, an octave and a major sixth lower |
| French horn | F | F, a perfect fifth lower |
What to play for each concert pitch
| Concert pitch (what sounds) | C instruments read | B-flat instruments read | E-flat instruments read | F horn reads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concert B-flat | B-flat | C | G | F |
| Concert E-flat | E-flat | F | C | B-flat |
| Concert F | F | G | D | C |
| Concert A-flat | A-flat | B-flat | F | E-flat |
| Concert C | C | D | A | G |
| Concert D-flat | D-flat | E-flat | B-flat | A-flat |
| Concert G | G | A | E | D |
The same pattern works for scales: a concert B-flat major scale is a C major scale for B-flat instruments, G major for E-flat instruments and F major for horn.
A shortcut for each family
- B-flat instruments: from the concert note, go up a whole step to find your written note.
- E-flat instruments: from the concert note, go up a major sixth (or down a minor third) to find your written note.
- F horn: from the concert note, go up a perfect fifth to find your written note.
- C instruments: read the concert note as written.
Find the fingering
Each free fingering chart shows every note as written for that instrument with its fingering. On transposing instruments it also shows the concert pitch each note sounds, so you can check a transposed note and its fingering in one place.