Instrument Ranges, Clefs and Transpositions

By jeffspmusic · Published November 8, 2026 · Updated November 8, 2026

Here is the clef, the written range, the sounding range and the transposition of 21 instruments in one table. These are the numbers the ear trainer itself plays from, so what you read here is what you hear there. Pick your instrument in the table to open its guide.

Opens the trainer on note recognition. Choose an instrument and press START. Free, no account.

Range, clef and transposition by instrument

Octaves are numbered so that middle C is C4. "Written" is the note on the page, "sounding" is the note the room hears, and "Same" means the two agree.

These are standard ranges, the ones the trainer plays on Hard. Low extensions, pedal tones and strong players reach a little past either end on some instruments.

Which instruments read bass clef?

Bassoon, trombone, tuba, cello, double bass and bass guitar read bass clef. Piano reads both clefs at once on the grand staff, and viola is the one instrument here that lives in alto clef. Everything else reads treble clef.

The surprise is the baritone sax. It sounds in the bass register, down to Db2, and it still reads treble clef, because every saxophone shares one set of written fingerings. The French horn and guitar are the same story in a milder form: treble clef on the page, a lower sound in the room.

Which instruments are in concert pitch?

Piano, flute, oboe, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, trombone and tuba sound exactly as written. Hand any of them a C and a C comes out.

Five more are in C but an octave away from what is written: piccolo and soprano recorder sound an octave higher, and guitar, bass guitar and double bass sound an octave lower. The note name never changes, only the octave, which is why players of these instruments rarely think of themselves as transposing.

The rest change the note name. Trumpet, clarinet, soprano sax and tenor sax are in Bb, alto and baritone sax are in Eb, and the horn is in F. On those, a written C comes out as the note the instrument is named for.

Why written and sounding ranges differ

A transposing instrument keeps the same fingerings across its whole family and lets the pitch move instead. That is a gift to the player's hands and a job for the player's ear, because the note you read is no longer the note you hear. The full explanation, with what to play when a pianist gives you a note, is in written pitch vs concert pitch.

The trainer works the way a rehearsal does: it plays the sounding pitch and you answer with the written note, on your own clef. So a tenor player hears an Ab2 and places a Bb3 on the treble staff, exactly as on a part.

A note on the tenor sax

The four saxophones share a written range of Bb3 to F#6. The tenor row goes one half step further, to a written G6, which is the first altissimo note and has no single standard fingering. Tenor players reach for it often enough in solos that the trainer includes it.

Using the ranges when you practice

Easy and Medium keep to a single octave. Hard uses the whole written range in the table, and Custom lets you set your own low and high note, so you can drill the register you actually play in and widen it later. Each instrument's guide says which octave Easy uses and why: start from the list of instrument guides.

Frequently asked questions

Does the baritone sax read bass clef?

No. It reads treble clef, like every saxophone, with a written range of Bb3 to F#6. It sounds an octave and a major 6th lower, from Db2 to A4, which is why it sits in the bass register while the part looks like an alto part.

Is the cello in concert pitch?

Yes. The cello sounds exactly as written. It reads bass clef for most of its range, and parts move into tenor and treble clef for high passages. Its lowest note is the open C string, C2.

What is the lowest note on a piccolo?

Written D4, the D just above middle C. The piccolo sounds an octave higher than written, so that note comes out as D5. It has no low C or C# the way a flute does.

What clef does the bassoon read?

Bass clef, at concert pitch, starting from Bb1 at the bottom. High passages are often written in tenor clef to avoid ledger lines, but the note that sounds is always the note written.

Hear a note on your instrument

Note recognition, any of the 21 instruments. Free, no account.