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 name | The note C4 written down produces: | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accordion | D piano accordion | D4 | ||
| Bass accordion | C2 | |||
| Arpeggione | C2/C3 | |||
| Bagpipe | Great Highland bagpipe | variable D4 - D4 | A minority of bagpipes, made for playing with other instruments, are exactly D4 (referred to as B, relative to the tonic note A rather than C). Most bagpipes are sharper than this, between D4 and D4.[1] . | |
| Northumbrian smallpipes in F or F+ | B4 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 | F4 | |||
| Contrabassoon | C3 | |||
| Bugle | Soprano bugleMellophone bugleFrench horn bugle | G3 | ||
| Baritone bugleEuphonium 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 | A4 | ||
| E clarinet | E4 | |||
| D clarinet | D4 | |||
| B soprano clarinet | B3 | |||
| B clarinet | B3 | |||
| A soprano clarinet | A3 | |||
| Basset clarinet | A3 | |||
| A soprano clarinet | A3 | |||
| Clarinet d’amour | G3 | |||
| G3 | ||||
| F3 | ||||
| Alto clarinet | E3 | |||
| C3 | ||||
| B2 | ||||
| Contra-alto clarinet | E2 | |||
| Contrabass clarinet | B1 | |||
| E1 | ||||
| B0 | ||||
| Cornet | Soprano cornet | E4 | ||
| Cornet | B3 | |||
| Crotales | C6 | |||
| Csakan | A4 | |||
| Euphonium | B2 | When notated in treble clef | ||
| fife | Folk B fife | A4 | ||
| Flute | D piccolo | D5 | ||
| Piccolo | C5 | |||
| Treble flute | G4 | |||
| F soprano flute | F4 | |||
| Soprano flute | E4 | |||
| D Flute | D4 | |||
| B flûte d'amour | B3 | |||
| A3 | ||||
| Alto flute | G3 | |||
| Bass flute | C3 | |||
| G2 | ||||
| C2 | ||||
| G1 | ||||
| F1 | ||||
| C1 | ||||
| C0 | ||||
| Glockenspiel | C6 | |||
| Guitar | Guitar | C3 | ||
| Handbells | C5 | |||
| Hardanger Fiddle | D4 | |||
| Horn | Marching horn | B3 | ||
| Horn | F3 | |||
| Mellophone | Mellophone | F3 | ||
| Oboe | F piccolo oboe | F4 | ||
| E piccolo oboe | E4 | |||
| Oboe d'amore | A3 | |||
| F3 | ||||
| C3 | ||||
| Oud | G2 | Bolahenk tuning | ||
| Recorder | Garklein recorder | C6 | ||
| Sopranino recorder | C5/F5 | |||
| Soprano recorder | C5, formerly G4 | |||
| B Soprano recorder | B4 | |||
| 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 | ||
| Tenor horn | E3 | |||
| B2 | When notated in treble clef | |||
| Saxophone | Piccolo saxophone | B4 | ||
| Sopranino saxophone | E4 | |||
| Soprano saxophone | B3 | |||
| F3 | ||||
| Alto saxophone | E3 | |||
| C Melody Saxophone | C3 | |||
| Tenor saxophone | B2 | |||
| Baritone saxophone | E2 | |||
| C2 | ||||
| Bass saxophone | B1 | |||
| Contrabass saxophone | E1 | |||
| B0 | ||||
| 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 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 | B4 | |||
| Piccolo Trumpet in A | A4 | |||
| F trumpet | F4 | |||
| E trumpet | E4 | |||
| E trumpet | E4 | |||
| D trumpet | D4 | |||
| Trumpet | B3 | |||
| A trumpet | A3 | |||
| E bass trumpet | E3 | |||
| D bass trumpet | D3 | |||
| B2 | ||||
| Tuba | E tuba | E2 | When notated in treble clef | |
| B tuba | B1 | When notated in treble clef | ||
| Venova | Venova | C5 | ||
| Alto Venova | F4 | |||
| Violin | C5 | |||
| Alto Violin | C5 | |||
| C2 | ||||
| C0 | ||||
| Viol | Double bass | C3 | ||
| Wagner Tuba | Tenor Wagner tuba | B3, formerly B2 | ||
| Bass Wagner tuba | F3, formerly F2 | |||
| Xylophone | C5 | |||