Tools

Transposer

Turn concert pitch into the note or key your part shows, or the other way around. Works from any band instrument to any other.

Concert pitchB♭4
Tap a note to hear it
B♭
Trumpet partC5
Tap a note to hear it
C

Both sound B♭4 concert. Play them one after the other to hear that it's the same pitch.

Ways to use the transposer

  • Your director says "concert E♭." Set From to concert pitch and To to your instrument to find the note you play.
  • Playing a part written for another instrument (an alto sax part on trumpet)? Set From to that instrument and To to yours.
  • Learning your scales by concert name? Switch to Key to see the key signature your part uses. Then drill it in Key Trainer.
About transposing

Why some instruments read different notes

Clarinet, trumpet, saxophones, and horn are transposing instruments: the note on the page is not the pitch that sounds. A trumpet's written C sounds a concert B♭, so a trumpet part is written a whole step higher than concert pitch. For the full story, read concert pitch and transposing instruments.

Why a key sometimes changes its name

Some transpositions land on keys with seven sharps or flats, or on keys that don't exist, like D♯ major. Parts are written in the simpler key that sounds the same, so the transposer shows D♭ major instead of C♯ major and notes the other name. See key signatures for how to read them.

Read more

Band skillsConcert pitch and transposing instruments, explainedWhy a clarinet C is a concert B♭, how transposition works, and how to talk pitch with the rest of the band.Band skillsKey signatures: which notes are sharp or flat, and remembering themHow to read a key signature, name the key, and stop missing sharps and flats in the middle of a piece.BrassEuphonium in treble clef vs. bass clef: which part should I read?Why euphonium and baritone parts come in two clefs, how treble clef fingerings match trumpet, and how to switch between them.