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.
Instrument family | Instrument name | The note C4 written down produces: | Comment |
---|---|---|---|
Accordion | D♭ piano accordion | D♭4 | |
Bass accordion | C2 | ||
Arpeggione | C2/C3 | ||
Bagpipe | Great Highland bagpipe | D♭4 | |
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 banjo | C3 | ||
Bassoon | Tenoroon | F4 | |
Contrabassoon | C3 | ||
Bugle | Soprano bugle Mellophone bugle French horn bugle |
G3 | |
Baritone bugle Euphonium bugle |
G2 | ||
Contrabass bugle | G1 | ||
Carillon | Various | Since 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.[1] 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.[2] | |
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♭2 | When notated in treble clef | |
fife | Folk B♭ fife | A♭4 | |
Flute | D♭ piccolo | D♭5 | |
Piccolo | C5 | ||
Treble flute | G4 | ||
F soprano flute | F4 | ||
Soprano flute | E♭4 | ||
D♭ Flute | D♭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 oboe | E♭4 | ||
Oboe d'amore | A3 | ||
Cor anglais | F3 | ||
Heckelphone and Bass oboe | C3 | ||
Oud | G2 | Bolahenk 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 recorder | F3 | ||
Bass recorder | C3 | When notated in treble clef | |
Great bass recorder | F2 | ||
Contrabass recorder | C2 | ||
Saxhorns | Flugelhorn | B♭3 | |
Tenor horn | E♭3 | ||
Baritone horn | B♭2 | When 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 | C5 | Transposes at the octave. Some whistle players treat whistles pitched higher or lower than the "standard" D tin whistle as (additionally) transposing instruments. | |
Trombone | Tenor Trombone | C4 | When noted in treble clef |
Alto trombone | C4 | Reads Alto Clef | |
Soprano trombone | C4 | May be B♭3 like a B♭ trumpet | |
Bass Trombone | C4 | The Bass Trombone is the same as the Tenor Trombone except it has a larger bore and an extra trigger | |
Contrabass Trombone | C4 | Plays the same notes as a tuba | |
Trumpet | C Piccolo Trumpet | C5 | |
Piccolo trumpet | B♭4 | ||
Piccolo Trumpet in A | A4 | ||
F trumpet | F4 | ||
E trumpet | E4 | ||
E♭ trumpet | E♭4 | ||
D trumpet | D4 | ||
Trumpet | B♭3 | ||
A trumpet | A3 | ||
E♭ bass trumpet | E♭3 | ||
D bass trumpet | D3 | ||
Bass trumpet | B♭2 | ||
Tuba | E♭ tuba | E♭2 | When notated in treble clef |
B♭ tuba | B♭1 | When 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 tuba | B♭3, formerly B♭2 | |
Bass Wagner tuba | F3, formerly F2 | ||
Xylophone | C5 |
See also
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
Further reading
- Kennan, Kent Wheeler. The Technique of Orchestration, Second Edition. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1970, 1952; ISBN 0-13-900316-9
- Del Mar, Norman. The Anatomy of the Orchestra. University of California Press, 1981