Transposition Calculator — Concert & Transposing Instruments
Convert between concert pitch and transposing instruments, in both directions.
Space or comma-separated. Chord suffixes (maj7, m, 7, dim, etc.) are preserved.
Transposed up by Major 2nd (M2)
D E F# G A B C#
Quick Intervals
Common transposing instruments
An instrument "in B♭" means that when the player reads and plays a written C, a concert B♭ sounds.
| Instrument | Key | Written C sounds | To get written pitch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trumpet, clarinet, tenor sax, soprano sax | B♭ | B♭ (a tone lower) | Transpose up a major 2nd |
| Alto sax, baritone sax, alto clarinet | E♭ | E♭ (a major 6th lower) | Transpose up a major 6th |
| French horn, cor anglais | F | F (a perfect 5th lower) | Transpose up a perfect 5th |
| Tenor sax (written treble) | B♭ | B♭ an octave and a tone lower | Transpose up a major 9th |
| Baritone sax | E♭ | E♭ an octave and a major 6th lower | Transpose up an octave and a major 6th |
| Piccolo | C | C an octave higher | Transpose down an octave |
| Double bass, guitar | C | C an octave lower | Transpose up an octave |
| Piano, flute, oboe, violin, trombone | C | C (concert pitch) | No transposition |
Guitar and double bass are technically transposing instruments — both sound an octave below written pitch — but the transposition is by a whole octave, so it never affects key signature or accidentals.
Practical notes
- Transpose the key signature too —A B♭ trumpet part in concert C major is written in D major — two sharps. Transposing the notes without the key signature produces a part full of accidentals.
- The direction is the common error —To write a part for a B♭ instrument from a concert score, transpose up a tone. To find what a B♭ part sounds like, transpose down. Getting this backwards puts you a major third out.
- Choose the enharmonic that fits —C♯ and D♭ are the same pitch and not the same thing on the page. Pick whichever gives the simpler key signature and fewer accidentals for the player.
- Watch the resulting range —Transposition can push a part above or below what the instrument can comfortably play. Check the written range after transposing, not the concert range before.
- The convention exists for a reason —Fingerings stay consistent across a family of instruments. A saxophonist reading a written C uses the same fingering on alto and tenor, even though different pitches sound — which is why doubling is practical at all.
About
The Transposition Calculator shifts a list of notes or chords (with their chord suffixes) up or down by a selected interval — from unison (0 semitones) to an octave (12 semitones). It preserves chord quality suffixes like "maj7", "m7", "dim", and "sus4". Toggle between sharp and flat notation to match your preferred key signature.
How to use
- 1 Enter your notes or chords space-separated (e.g. "C Dm G Am" or "Cmaj7 Am F G").
- 2 Select the direction: Up or Down.
- 3 Choose the interval from the dropdown or click a quick interval button.
- 4 Toggle "Use flats" if you prefer flat notation.
- 5 The transposed result appears instantly in the box below.
- What does transposing music mean?
- Transposition means shifting every note in a piece of music up or down by the same interval, changing the key while preserving all the melodic and harmonic relationships. Musicians transpose to match a singer's vocal range, accommodate a different instrument's capabilities, or make a piece easier to play. For example, transposing a song in C major up 2 semitones puts it in D major.
- When would I need to transpose chords?
- Common situations: (1) A song is in a key that is awkward to play on guitar — transposing down 1–2 semitones (and using a capo) makes it easier. (2) A vocalist's range does not match the original key — transposing up or down finds a more comfortable key. (3) A B♭ or E♭ instrument (trumpet, saxophone) reading concert-pitch sheet music needs to transpose to play in the right key.
- Should I use sharps or flats when transposing?
- Use sharps for keys with sharps in their key signature (G, D, A, E, B major) and flats for keys with flats (F, B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ major). For example, transposing to D major: use C#, F#, G# (sharps). Transposing to B♭ major: use B♭, E♭ (flats). The toggle in this tool lets you choose whichever notation matches your target key.
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