The tenor saxophone’s range in notes and hertz
Written B♭3 to F6, sounding a major ninth lower. Many tenors have a high F♯ key, and altissimo goes higher.
Written and sounding pitch
The tenor saxophone is a transposing instrument: it sounds a major ninth lower than written, which makes it a B♭ instrument. So the range on its part is B♭3–F6, while the notes you hear are A♭2–E♭5. To convert a part, use the concert pitch to B♭ chart. The transposing-instrument tuner reads out the written note as you play.
Instruments with a similar range
The instruments whose normal range shares the most notes with the tenor saxophone’s:
- Cello · C2–A6 32 notes shared
- Guitar · E2–B5 32 notes shared
- 7-string guitar · B1–C♯6 32 notes shared
- 8-string guitar · F♯1–C♯6 32 notes shared
- Brazilian 7-string guitar · C2–B5 32 notes shared
- Baritone guitar · B1–B5 32 notes shared
Tune it, play it
- Tenor sax tuner — tune by microphone, with the tenor saxophone’s own target notes.
- Play a tenor saxophone online — the same range, playable in your browser.
Songs that fit the tenor saxophone
36 songs from our public-domain library fit inside the tenor saxophone’s range, each written out in the notation tenor saxophone players read:
- Hot Cross Buns
- Lightly Row
- Going Home (New World Largo)
- Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
- Happy Birthday
- Ode to Joy
- Mary Had a Little Lamb
- Row, Row, Row Your Boat
- Jingle Bells
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Yankee Doodle
- Silent Night
All 36 tenor saxophone songs ›
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of a tenor saxophone?
The tenor saxophone’s normal range runs from A♭2 to E♭5 — 103.83 to 622.25 Hz, about 2.6 octaves. Its part is written B♭3–F6, because it sounds a major ninth lower than written.
What is the lowest note on a tenor saxophone?
A♭2 (103.83 Hz).
What is the highest note on a tenor saxophone?
E♭5 (622.25 Hz).
Sources
- The chart behind our playable tenor saxophone, itself checked note by note against published charts.