List of transposing instruments

List of transposition (order by instrument and amount of transposition):

Instrument family	Instrument name	A written C4 produces:	Comment
Accordion	A♭ Piccolo Accordion	A♭5	Used with the University of Chicago Carillon
	Alto Accordion	C5	Being built by Yamaha
	D♭ Piano Accordion	D♭4	An Accordion that transposes up a half step from concert pitch.
	Piano Accordion	C4
	Diatonic Accordion in C	C4
	Tenor Accordion	C3	A Special Accordion used to reinforce the Tenors in Choir Concerts
arpeggione	Arpeggione	C2/C3	In Bass Clef, alternates between sounding at the pitch of the guitar and 1 octave below when written on the treble clef
bagpipe	Great Highland Bagpipe	D♭4
	Great Highland bagpipe in A	C4	Newly used
	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). See History of Pitch Standards in Western Music..
banjo	Soprano Banjo	C4	Tuned an octave above a regular Banjo
banjo	Banjo	C3
5 string bluegrass banjo	Banjo	G4	Open G tuning is high string G4 and middle string G3 on 5 string banjo.
bassoon	Sopranoon	F5	Soprano bassoon
	Altoon	C5	Alto bassoon, also known as Octave bassoon
	Tenoroon	F4
	Bassoon	C4
	A Bassoon	A3	From part in BWV 150
	Contrabassoon, Contraforte	C3
bugle	Piccolo soprano bugle	G4
	Soprano bugle, Mellophone bugle, French horn bugle	G3
	Baritone bugle, Euphonium bugle	G2	notated in different clefs, but sound same pitches
	Contrabass bugle	G1
carillon	Carillon in Wiesbaden, Germany	C5
	Sydney University Carillon	D♭4
	The National Carillon in Canberra	B3
	Carillon at the University of Chicago.	A♭3
	Tenor Carillon in Florida	C3
celesta	D♭ Celesta	D♭5	A celesta tuned up a half step
	Celesta	C5
	Tenor Celesta	C4	Sounding range: 4 Octaves is C3-C7, 5 octaves is C2-C7 or F2-F7, and 5 1/2 octaves is C2-F7
clarinet	B♭ Piccolo Clarinet	B♭4
	Basset clarinet	A4	an A Soprano Clarinet w/ an Extended range (when written in bass clef)
	A♭ Piccolo clarinet	A♭4
	E Sopranino Clarinet	E4	an Octave lower version is the E alto clarinet
	E♭ clarinet	E♭4
	D clarinet	D4	rare
	C soprano clarinet	C4
	B soprano clarinet	B3
	B♭ clarinet	B♭3
	Bass clarinet	B♭3	German notation in bass clef
	A soprano clarinet	A3
	Basset clarinet in Treble Clef	A3	Basically an A Soprano Clarinet with an Extended range
	A♭ soprano clarinet	A♭3
	G Mezzo soprano clarinet	G3	also known as clarinet d’amour
	G basset clarinet	G3	Extended range Mezzo Soprano Clarinet in G
	Basset horn	F3	F Alto Clarinet
	Alto clarinet	E♭3
	C bass clarinet	C3
	Bass clarinet	B♭2	French notation in treble clef
	A bass clarinet	A2	Being made by Yamaha, ideal for Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in A major/Bass Clarinet Version
	F Baritone Clarinet	F2
	Contra-alto clarinet	E♭2
	Contrabass clarinet	B♭1
	Octocontra-alto clarinet	E♭1	very rare
	B♭ octocontrabass clarinet	B♭0	very rare
cornet	Soprano cornet	E♭4
	Cornet	B♭3
crotales	Crotales	C6
crotales	Tenor Crotales	C4
csakan	Csakan	A♭4
euphonium	Euphonium	C4	when written in bass clef
		B♭2	when written in treble clef
fife	Folk B♭ fife	A♭4
flugelhorn	Flugelhorn	B♭3
flute	D♭ piccolo	D♭5
	Piccolo	C5
	Treble flute	G4
	F Treble Flute	F4
	D♭ Flute	D♭4
	Flute	C4
	B♭ flûte d'amour	B♭3
	A flûte d'amour	A3	Mezzo-Soprano Flute
	Alto flute	G3
	F Alto Flute	F3	Countertenor Flute
	Bass flute (Tenor Flute)	C3
	Contra-alto flute	G2	now being called a Baritone Flute
	Contrabass flute	C2	rare
	G subcontrabass flute	G1	rare
	Double contrabass flute	C1	very rare
	Hyperbass flute	C0	True Subcontrabass Flute in C
glockenspiel	Glockenspiel	C6
	Tenor Glockenspiel	C4
guitar	Piccolo Bass Guitar	C4
	Guitar, Bass guitar	C3	at times an octave G clef is used; see Octave clef, pedantically speaking transposes to E minor in standard tuning because open strings form a minor chord, bass has only low 4 strings
handbells	Handbells	C5
	Tenor Handbells	C4
hardanger fiddle	Hardanger Fiddle	D4	Except when tuned like a traditional violin: G,D,A,E
	Hardanger Fiddle in C	C4
horn	Descant Horn	F4
	Horn	F4	when written in bass clef (old notation)
	Baritone horn	C4	when written in bass clef
	Horn in C alto	C4	new instrument in production
	B♭ marching horn	B♭3
	Horn	F3
	Tenor horn	E♭3
	Baritone horn	B♭2	when written in treble clef
mando-guitar	Mando-guitar	C4
mandolin	Mandolin tuned down a half step	B3
mellophone	Mellophone	F3
oboe	F piccolo oboe	F4
	E♭ piccolo oboe	E♭4
	Oboe	C4
	Oboe d'amore	A3	Mezzo Soprano Oboe
	Cor anglais	F3	English horn or F alto Oboe
	Heckelphone and Bass oboe	C3	(Extended Range) Tenor Oboe
organ	Cammerton Pipe Organ in D	D4	A pipe organ that transposes up a whole step from concert pitch
	organ	C4
oud	Piccolo Oud	C4	Non transposing because it's tuned an octave higher
	Oud	G2	bolahenk tuning
recorder	Garklein recorder	C6
	Sopranino recorder	C5/F5
	Soprano recorder	C5, formerly G4
	B♭ Soprano recorder	B♭4	A Concert Band Soprano Recorder
	Alto recorder	F4	In alternative notation
	Voice flute	D4, formerly A3	D Tenor recorder
	Tenor recorder	C4, formerly G3
	Basset recorder	F3
	Bass recorder	C3	in Treble Clef
	Great bass recorder	F2
	Contrabass recorder	C2
saxophone	Piccolo saxophone	B♭4
	Sopranino saxophone	E♭4
	C soprano saxophone	C4
	Soprano saxophone	B♭3
	F alto saxophone	F3
	Alto saxophone	E♭3
	C Tenor Saxophone	C3	aka C Melody Saxophone
	Tenor saxophone	B♭2
	F baritone saxophone	F2
	Baritone saxophone	E♭2
	C bass saxophone	C2
	Bass saxophone	B♭1
	Contrabass saxophone	E♭1	rare
	C contrabass saxophone	C1	New instrument in production
	Subcontrabass saxophone	B♭0	very rare
tin whistle	Tin whistle	C5
trombone	Trombone	C4	except in brass band music
	C Soprano Trombone	C4
	C Tenor Trombone	C3
	Tenor trombone	B♭2	when written in treble clef
Trumpet	C Piccolo Trumpet	C5
	Piccolo trumpet	B♭4	may also be in A
	Piccolo Trumpet in A	A4
	F trumpet	F4
	E trumpet	E4
	E♭ trumpet	E♭4
	D trumpet	D4	may also be in E♭
	C trumpet	C4
	Trumpet	B♭3
	A trumpet	A3
	A♭ Trumpet	A♭3	New
	E♭ bass trumpet	E♭3
	D bass trumpet	D3
	Bass trumpet	C3	Tenor Trumpet
	Bass trumpet	B♭2	when written in treble clef
tuba	Tuba	C4	except in brass band music
	E♭ tuba	E♭2	when written in treble clef (British brass band music)
	B♭ tuba	B♭1	when written in treble clef (British brass band music)
venova	Venova	C5
violin	Treble violin	C5	aka Pochette
	Alto Violin	C5	Upright Viola in Bass Clef
	Cello	C3	in Treble Clef with a small 8 below the clef
	Octobass	C2	Found in the MIM
		C0	In Treble Clef
viol	Double bass	C3
vocal	Female Vocal	C5	Bari & Bass parts in Bass Clef: Female Barber Shop (aka Sweet Adeline quartet)
		C4
	Vocal tenor parts	C3	when written in treble clef; at times an octave G clef is used; see Octave clef
Wagner Tuba	Tenor Wagner tuba	B♭3, formerly B♭2
	Bass Wagner tuba	F3, formerly F2
Whistle	Low whistle	C4	a non transposing tin whistle (true key note is generally D3)
Xylophone	Xylophone	C5
	Tenor Xylophone	C4

See also

• Category:Transposing instruments
• Instrument transposition

References

• 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