The trombone’s range in notes and hertz
E2 is the bottom of a tenor trombone without its pedal notes; an F attachment fills in down to C2, and the pedals go lower. The top is open-ended: D5 is the conservative limit and F5 the usual one for strong players.
Written and sounding pitch
The trombone reads at concert pitch in bass clef: a written note sounds as written, so the range above is both the sound and the page.
Instruments with a similar range
The instruments whose normal range shares the most notes with the trombone’s:
- Cello · C2–A6 35 notes shared
- Guitar · E2–B5 35 notes shared
- 7-string guitar · B1–C♯6 35 notes shared
- 8-string guitar · F♯1–C♯6 35 notes shared
- Brazilian 7-string guitar · C2–B5 35 notes shared
- Baritone guitar · B1–B5 35 notes shared
Tune it, play it
- Trombone tuner — tune by microphone, with the trombone’s own target notes.
- Play a trombone online — the same range, playable in your browser.
Songs that fit the trombone
36 songs from our public-domain library fit inside the trombone’s range, each written out in the notation trombone 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
Frequently asked questions
What is the range of a trombone?
The trombone’s normal range runs from E2 to D5 — 82.41 to 587.33 Hz, about 2.8 octaves. At the extremes it reaches E2–F5.
What is the lowest note on a trombone?
E2 (82.41 Hz).
What is the highest note on a trombone?
D5 is the top of the normal range, and F5 (698.46 Hz) is reachable at the extreme.