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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 variable D♭4 - D4 A 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 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.[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♭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

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References

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  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.

Further reading

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  • 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
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