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TransposingB♭ · E♭ · F · G

Transposing Instrument Tuner

Most tuners are built for guitars, and a guitar does not transpose — so they name the concert pitch and leave you to do the arithmetic. This one will name the note printed on your part instead. Pick your instrument below and the dial arrives already set.

+10-10
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
C
C♯
D
D♯
E
F
F♯
G
G♯
A
A♯
B
Tonalics

Set the transposition from the gear icon on the dial, or open a pre-set link from the table below. Audio is analyzed on your device and never leaves it.

The problem, stated once

A transposing instrument is one whose written note and sounding note are not the same. Play a written C on a B♭ trumpet and the room hears concert B♭. It is not a defect and it is not a convention anyone is going to fix — it exists so that a player can move between instruments in the same family without relearning the fingerings, which is why a soprano and a baritone saxophone read identically and sound two octaves apart.

The consequence for tuning is that a tuner is telling you the truth and it still does not match your part. That is the moment most band players decide online tuners are useless. This one has a switch for it.

Open the tuner set for your instrument

InstrumentKeySoundsConcert B♭ isSet the dial
TrumpetB♭a major 2nd lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
CornetB♭a major 2nd lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
FlugelhornB♭a major 2nd lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
Clarinet (B♭)B♭a major 2nd lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
Soprano saxB♭a major 2nd lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
Tenor saxB♭a major 9th lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
Bass clarinetB♭a major 9th lowerwritten Cto B♭ →
Alto saxE♭a major 6th lowerwritten Gto E♭ →
Baritone saxE♭an octave + major 6th lowerwritten Gto E♭ →
E♭ clarinetE♭a minor 3rd HIGHERwritten Gto E♭ →
French hornFa perfect 5th lowerwritten Fto F →
MellophoneFa perfect 5th lowerwritten Fto F →
English hornFa perfect 5th lowerwritten Fto F →
Alto fluteGa perfect 4th lowerwritten Fto G →
PiccoloCan octave higherwritten B♭octave only — read the letter
ContrabassoonCan octave lowerwritten B♭octave only — read the letter

The octave caveat, for the four instruments it affects

The setting shifts the note name by an interval inside the octave. For most instruments that is the entire transposition and the display then matches your part exactly. For four of them the real interval is more than an octave, so the letter comes out right and the octave number sits one lower:

This is a display limitation stated plainly rather than hidden: the letter is what you read from, and the octave is the tuner declining to pretend a low instrument is a high one.

When to switch it back off

Transposed is right while you are working on your own part. Concert pitch is right whenever another instrument is involved — tuning to a piano, checking yourself against a recording, matching a section that is not in your key, or working out what a written note actually sounds so you can talk to a conductor about it.

The setting is remembered on your device and carried in the URL, so switching is one control rather than a re-setup — and a shared link arrives configured, which is the point of it being addressable at all.

Frequently asked questions

What does the Transposition setting actually do?
It adds a fixed number of semitones to the note name before the dial prints it, so the tuner reports the note you are reading instead of the note you are sounding. Nothing about the detection changes — the microphone still hears concert pitch, and the cents readout is still measuring the real thing. Only the label changes.
Which setting do I choose for my instrument?
The key the instrument is named in: B♭ for a trumpet, a B♭ clarinet, a soprano or tenor sax, a cornet or a flugelhorn; E♭ for an alto or baritone sax and an E♭ clarinet; F for a French horn, a mellophone or an english horn; G for an alto flute. The table above has all of them with a direct link that opens the tuner already set.
Why is the octave number still wrong on my tenor sax?
Because the setting moves the note name by an interval within the octave, and a tenor sax sounds a major ninth below the page — an octave plus a major second. Setting B♭ adds the major second back, which makes the letter correct, and the octave digit stays one lower. The same applies to the bass clarinet, the baritone sax and a euphonium reading treble clef. Read the letter; the octave is the tuner being honest about how low the note really is.
Should I leave transposition on all the time?
No — switch it off whenever you need to know what is actually in the air. Checking yourself against a piano, tuning to a recording, or working out what a written note sounds are all concert-pitch questions. The useful habit is transposed while you practise your own part, concert while you tune to anybody else.
Does the setting survive if I send someone the link?
Yes. The transposition is written into the URL, so a link carries it — along with the concert pitch and the temperament. A section leader can send one link to a stand full of alto saxes and everyone arrives set to E♭ at the same A. The setting is also remembered on your own device between visits.
Does an oboe, flute, trombone or tuba need this?
No. Those read at concert pitch, so the dial already agrees with the page — an oboe in particular is why the orchestra tunes to it. A tuba is a special case: it is built in BB♭, CC, E♭ or F but its parts are almost always written at concert pitch in bass clef, so you leave transposition off despite the instrument having a key.

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