List of transposing instruments

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This is a list of transposing instruments and their transposition. Transposing instruments are instruments for which the convention is to write music notation transposed relative to concert pitch.

Contents

Instrument family Instrument nameThe note C4 written down produces:Comment
Accordion D♭ piano accordionD♭4
Bass accordion C2
Arpeggione C2/C3
Bagpipe Great Highland bagpipe variable D♭4 - D4A minority of bagpipes, made for playing with other instruments, are exactly D♭4 (referred to as B♭, relative to the tonic note A rather than C). Most bagpipes are sharper than this, between D♭4 and D4. [1] .
Northumbrian smallpipes in F or F+B♭4 for F (~20 cents sharp for F+)Older and traditionally made instruments use a pitch sharp of F described as F+ (F-plus)
Banjo Banjo C3
Tenor banjoC3
Bassoon Tenoroon F4
Contrabassoon C3
Bugle Soprano bugle
Mellophone bugle
French horn bugle 		G3
Baritone bugle
Euphonium bugle		G2
Contrabass bugle G1
Carillon VariousSince they are seldom played in concert with other instruments and carillonneurs need standardized sheet music, carillons often transpose to a variety of keys—whichever is advantageous for the particular installation; many transposing carillons weigh little, have many bells, or were constructed on limited funds. [2] An increasing number of new carillons have been installed in concert pitch as a result of the desire to establish the carillon as a full-fledged concert instrument. [3]
Celesta C5
Clarinet A♭ clarinet A♭4
E♭ clarinet E♭4
D clarinet D4
B soprano clarinet B3
B♭ clarinet B♭3
A soprano clarinet A3
Basset clarinet A3
A♭ soprano clarinet A♭3
Clarinet d’amour G3
G Basset clarinet G3
Basset horn F3
Alto clarinet E♭3
C bass clarinet C3
Bass clarinet B♭2
Contra-alto clarinet E♭2
Contrabass clarinet B♭1
Octocontra-alto clarinet E♭1
B♭ octocontrabass clarinet B♭0
Cornet Soprano cornet E♭4
Cornet B♭3
Crotales C6
Csakan A♭4
Euphonium B♭2When notated in treble clef
fifeFolk B♭ fife A♭4
Flute D♭ piccolo D♭5
Piccolo C5
Treble flute G4
F soprano flute F4
Soprano flute E♭4
D♭ FluteD♭4
B♭ flûte d'amour B♭3
A flûte d'amour A3
Alto flute G3
Bass flute C3
Contra-alto flute G2
Contrabass flute C2
Subcontrabass flute G1
F subcontrabass flute F1
Double contrabass flute C1
Hyperbass flute C0
Glockenspiel C6
Guitar Guitar C3
Handbells C5
Hardanger Fiddle D4
Horn Marching horn B♭3
Horn F3
Mellophone Mellophone F3
Oboe F piccolo oboe F4
E♭ piccolo oboeE♭4
Oboe d'amore A3
Cor anglais F3
Heckelphone and Bass oboe C3
Oud G2Bolahenk tuning
Recorder Garklein recorder C6
Sopranino recorder C5/F5
Soprano recorder C5, formerly G4
B♭ Soprano recorder B♭4
Alto recorder F4
Voice flute D4, formerly A3
Tenor recorder C4, formerly G3
Basset recorderF3
Bass recorder C3When notated in treble clef
Great bass recorder F2
Contrabass recorderC2
Saxhorns Flugelhorn B♭3
Tenor horn E♭3
Baritone horn B♭2When notated in treble clef
Saxophone Piccolo saxophone B♭4
Sopranino saxophone E♭4
Soprano saxophone B♭3
F alto saxophone F3
Alto saxophone E♭3
C Melody Saxophone C3
Tenor saxophone B♭2
Baritone saxophone E♭2
C bass saxophone C2
Bass saxophone B♭1
Contrabass saxophone E♭1
Subcontrabass saxophone B♭0
Tin whistle C5Transposes at the octave. Some whistle players treat whistles pitched higher or lower than the "standard" D tin whistle as (additionally) transposing instruments.
TromboneTenor Trombone C4When noted in treble clef
Alto trombone C4Reads Alto Clef
Soprano trombone C4May be B♭3 like a B♭ trumpet
Bass TromboneC4The Bass Trombone is the same as the Tenor Trombone except it has a larger bore and an extra trigger
Contrabass TromboneC4Plays the same notes as a tuba
Trumpet C Piccolo Trumpet C5
Piccolo trumpet B♭4
Piccolo Trumpet in AA4
F trumpetF4
E trumpetE4
E♭ trumpetE♭4
D trumpetD4
TrumpetB♭3
A trumpetA3
E♭ bass trumpet E♭3
D bass trumpet D3
Bass trumpet B♭2
Tuba E♭ tuba E♭2When notated in treble clef
B♭ tuba B♭1When notated in treble clef
Venova Venova C5
Alto Venova F4
Violin Treble violin C5
Alto Violin C5
Octobass C2
C0
Viol Double bass C3
Wagner Tuba Tenor Wagner tubaB♭3, formerly B♭2
Bass Wagner tuba F3, formerly F2
Xylophone C5

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Macpherson, Ewan. "The Pitch and Scale of the Great Highland Bagpipe". New Zealand Pipeband (Winter 1998). Retrieved 21 Sep 2024.
  2. ↑ Lehr, André (2005). Campanology Textbook: The Musical and Technical Aspect of Swinging Bells and Carillons (in Dutch). Translated by Schafer, Kimberly. The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. p. 59. OCLC   154672090. Archived from the original on 2021-02-10. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
  3. ↑ Rombouts, Luc (2014). Singing Bronze: A History of Carillon Music. Translated by Communicationwise. Leuven University Press. p. 310. ISBN   978-90-5867-956-7. Archived from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2021-06-29.

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