Transposing Instruments
After this lesson, you'll understand the difference between written pitch and concert pitch, and you'll know how to work out the written key for a transposing instrument.
Some instruments produce different pitches from the notes on the page. We call them transposing instruments. When a B-flat clarinetist reads a C, you hear a B-flat. The pitch you actually hear is called concert pitch. And the instrument's name, “in B-flat,” “in F” or “in A,” tells you exactly which concert pitch you hear when it reads a C.
The main cases
| Instrument | Reads C, you hear | So it is written | Written key signature, compared with concert |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarinet, trumpet, bass clarinet in B-flat | B-flat (a whole step lower; bass clarinet, a major 9th lower) | a whole step higher (bass clarinet in treble clef: a major 9th higher) | 2 fewer flats or 2 more sharps |
| Clarinet in A | A (a minor third lower) | a minor third higher | 3 fewer sharps or 3 more flats |
| English horn, horn in F | F (a fifth lower) | a fifth higher | 1 fewer flat or 1 more sharp |
| Alto saxophone (E-flat) | E-flat (a major sixth lower) | a major sixth higher | 3 fewer flats or 3 more sharps |
| Tenor saxophone (B-flat) | B-flat (a major 9th lower) | a major 9th higher | 2 fewer flats or 2 more sharps |
| Piccolo | C an octave higher | an octave lower | same |
| Contrabassoon, double bass, guitar | C an octave lower | an octave higher | same |
A worked example
Let's try it. The orchestra plays in F major, with 1 flat. What do you write for the B-flat clarinet? You go a whole step higher, to G major, with 1 sharp. And the key signature does have “2 fewer flats”: take 2 flats away from 1 flat and you get 1 sharp.
The horn in F is written a fifth higher, so the same melody in F major is written in C major for the horn. The English horn follows the same rule. As Danhauser puts it, its key signature has “always one flat fewer or one sharp more than that of the other instruments.”
- Sounding range
- D3 to B♭6 (ré2 to si♭5)
- Clefs
- treble
- Notation
- sounds a major second lower than written
Sounding ranges, typical orchestral values: soloists often go higher, and some instruments have extra low notes.
The piece sounds in E-flat major (3 flats). Give the written key and key signature for: a) clarinet in B-flat; b) horn in F; c) alto saxophone in E-flat; d) clarinet in A.
You can now move between written pitch and concert pitch. In the next lesson, we'll go beyond major and minor to explore the modes and other scales. But first, the questions.