Bowed strings
| Instrument | Range (sounding) | Written | Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violin | G3–E7 · 196.00–2637.0 Hz | as sounding | D3–C8 |
| Viola | C3–D7 · 130.81–2349.3 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Cello | C2–A6 · 65.41–1760.0 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Double bass | E1–G3 · 41.20–196.00 Hz | E2–G4 | C1–D5 |
| Erhu | D4–A7 · 293.66–3520.0 Hz | — | — |
Guitars and basses
| Instrument | Range (sounding) | Written | Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guitar | E2–B5 · 82.41–987.77 Hz | E3–B6 | E2–E6 |
| 7-string guitar | B1–C♯6 · 61.74–1108.7 Hz | B2–C♯7 | B1–E6 |
| 8-string guitar | F♯1–C♯6 · 46.25–1108.7 Hz | F♯2–C♯7 | F♯1–E6 |
| Brazilian 7-string guitar | C2–B5 · 65.41–987.77 Hz | C3–B6 | — |
| Baritone guitar | B1–B5 · 61.74–987.77 Hz | — | — |
| Bass guitar | E1–G4 · 41.20–392.00 Hz | E2–G5 | — |
| Bass ukulele | E1–B3 · 41.20–246.94 Hz | E2–B4 | — |
Plucked and struck strings
| Instrument | Range (sounding) | Written | Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ukulele | C4–A5 · 261.63–880.00 Hz | as sounding | C4–C6 |
| Mandolin | G3–D7 · 196.00–2349.3 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Banjo | D3–A5 · 146.83–880.00 Hz | — | — |
| Balalaika | E4–C♯6 · 329.63–1108.7 Hz | — | E4–A6 |
| Harp | C2–A6 · 65.41–1760.0 Hz | as sounding | B0–F♯7 |
| Lyre harp | G3–A5 · 196.00–880.00 Hz | — | — |
| Guzheng | D2–D6 · 73.42–1174.7 Hz | — | — |
| Qanun | G2–D6 · 98.00–1174.7 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Autoharp | F2–C6 · 87.31–1046.5 Hz | — | — |
| Hammered dulcimer | D3–D6 · 146.83–1174.7 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Mountain dulcimer | D3–D6 · 146.83–1174.7 Hz | — | — |
Woodwind
| Instrument | Range (sounding) | Written | Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flute | C4–C7 · 261.63–2093.0 Hz | as sounding | B3–C7 |
| Piccolo | D5–C8 · 587.33–4186.0 Hz | D4–C7 | C5–C8 |
| Alto flute | G3–G6 · 196.00–1568.0 Hz | C4–C7 | G3–C♯7 |
| Recorder | C5–D7 · 523.25–2349.3 Hz | C4–D6 | C5–G7 |
| Oboe | B♭3–G6 · 233.08–1568.0 Hz | as sounding | B♭3–A6 |
| English horn | E3–C6 · 164.81–1046.5 Hz | B3–G6 | E♭3–C6 |
| Clarinet | D3–B♭5 · 146.83–932.33 Hz | E3–C6 | D3–B6 |
| Bass clarinet | D2–B♭4 · 73.42–466.16 Hz | E3–C6 | D2–B5 |
| E♭ clarinet | G3–C7 · 196.00–2093.0 Hz | E3–A6 | — |
| Saxophone | C♯3–A♭5 · 138.59–830.61 Hz | B♭3–F6 | — |
| Alto saxophone | C♯3–A♭5 · 138.59–830.61 Hz | B♭3–F6 | C♯3–A5 |
| Tenor saxophone | A♭2–E♭5 · 103.83–622.25 Hz | B♭3–F6 | — |
| Soprano saxophone | A♭3–E♭6 · 207.65–1244.5 Hz | B♭3–F6 | — |
| Baritone saxophone | C♯2–A♭4 · 69.30–415.30 Hz | B♭3–F6 | — |
| Bassoon | B♭1–E5 · 58.27–659.26 Hz | as sounding | A1–A♭5 |
| Contrabassoon | B♭0–D4 · 29.14–293.66 Hz | B♭1–D5 | A0–D4 |
| Ocarina | A4–F6 · 440.00–1396.9 Hz | A3–F5 | — |
Brass
| Instrument | Range (sounding) | Written | Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trumpet | E3–B♭5 · 164.81–932.33 Hz | F♯3–C6 | E3–F6 |
| Cornet | E3–B♭5 · 164.81–932.33 Hz | F♯3–C6 | E3–F6 |
| Flugelhorn | E3–B♭5 · 164.81–932.33 Hz | F♯3–C6 | — |
| French horn | F1–F5 · 43.65–698.46 Hz | C2–C6 | — |
| Trombone | E2–D5 · 82.41–587.33 Hz | as sounding | E2–F5 |
| Euphonium | E2–G4 · 82.41–392.00 Hz | as sounding | B0–D5 |
| Tuba | F1–C4 · 43.65–261.63 Hz | as sounding | B♭0–C5 |
Tuned percussion
| Instrument | Range (sounding) | Written | Extreme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marimba | C2–C7 · 65.41–2093.0 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Xylophone | F4–C8 · 349.23–4186.0 Hz | F3–C7 | — |
| Glockenspiel | G5–C8 · 783.99–4186.0 Hz | G3–C6 | — |
| Timpani | D2–A3 · 73.42–220.00 Hz | as sounding | C2–C4 |
| Steel drum | C4–E6 · 261.63–1318.5 Hz | as sounding | — |
| Kalimba | C4–E6 · 261.63–1318.5 Hz | — | — |
| Handpan | D3–A4 · 146.83–440.00 Hz | — | — |
Keyboards and free reeds
All of them on one chart
Each instrument’s range, lowest first, on one scale from C0 to B8. The solid bar is the practical range and the pale extension the extreme one; the piano alone covers A0 to C8.
Instruments without a range chart
We only chart a range we can check against a published source or our own reviewed fingering charts. These instruments have tuner pages but no checked range yet — or no single range to give:
- Voice — Covered by the vocal range chart, which has a page per voice type. See the vocal range chart.
- Drum — An unpitched drum has no note range.
- Tongue Drum — Each tongue drum is tuned to its own scale and size; there is no standard range to state.
- Bouzouki — A hub over two different instruments (Greek and Irish); neither has a published fret count we could check.
- Greek Bouzouki — Its octave-strung courses make “lowest string plus frets” ambiguous, and no source states the range directly.
- Irish Bouzouki — No published range or standard fret count.
- 12-String — No published fret count for 12-string guitars specifically.
- Tenor Guitar — No published range or standard fret count.
- Lute — A lute’s range depends on its size, course count and the diapasons chosen for each piece.
- Oud — Fretless, with no published upper limit.
- Charango — No published range or standard fret count.
- Cavaquinho — No published range or standard fret count.
- Guitarrón — No published range or standard fret count.
- Mexican Vihuela — No published range or standard fret count.
- Requinto — No published range or standard fret count.
- Cuatro Venezolano — No published range or standard fret count.
- Tres Cubano — No published range or standard fret count.
- Lap Steel — Played with a slide, so its top is wherever the bar stops; no published range.
- Resonator — Often played with a slide; no published range.
- Guitalele — No published range or standard fret count.
- Cigar Box Guitar — Homemade instruments with no standard neck.
- Kamancheh — No published range.
- Tar — Its frets include quarter tones, so a fret count is not a count of semitones.
- Setar — Its frets include quarter tones, so a fret count is not a count of semitones.
- Tanbur — Its frets are semi-tempered, not semitones.
- Bağlama — Its frets divide the octave into more than twelve steps.
- Sitar — Moveable frets and a tuning that varies by school; no single range.
- Sarod — Fretless, with no published range.
- Tanpura — A drone: it plays its open strings and nothing else, tuned to the singer.
- Santur — No published range for the Persian santur in this form.
- Ney — Nine lengths of ney exist, each a different range; no single figure.
- Tin Whistle — Whistles come in many keys; no published range in note names.
- Bagpipes — The Highland chanter’s nine notes sit at a pitch well above A440 that varies by band.
- Mellophone — No published range in note names.
Converting a part between instruments? Use the transposer. Looking up a single note? The note frequency chart has every note from C0 to B8.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between practical and extreme range?
The practical range is what music is normally written for and what a competent player is expected to have. The extreme range adds notes that exist on some instruments or for some players: a bassoon’s low A, a violin’s harmonics up to C8, a tuba’s pedal notes. Where a source gives only one figure — the whole compass — the page says so instead of inventing a split.
What is the difference between written and sounding range?
A transposing instrument’s part is written at a different pitch from the one it sounds. A B♭ trumpet sounds a tone lower than written, a guitar an octave lower, a piccolo an octave higher. The sounding range is what you hear; the written range is what appears on the part.
Which instrument has the widest range?
Among ordinary instruments, the piano: 88 keys from A0 to C8, more than seven octaves. The pipe organ goes further, but it is many instruments in one case.