Info Catalog music-glossary: tonic music-glossary: Musical terms A-Z music-glossary: transposition

music-glossary: transposing instrument

 
 1.316 transposing instrument
 ============================
 
 ES: instrumento transpositor, I: strumento traspositore, F: instrument
 transpositeur, D: transponierende Instrumente, NL: ?, DK: ?, S: ?, FI:
 transponoitava soitin.
 
    Instruments whose notated pitch is different from their sounded
 pitch.  Except for those whose notated and sounding pitches differ by
 one or more octaves (to reduce the number of ledger lines needed), most
 such instruments are identified by the letter name of the pitch class of
 their fundamental.  The pitch class is the note that _sounds_
 (disregarding the octave in which it sounds) when the instrument plays a
 notated C.
 
    For example: when played on the B-flat clarinet, the note middle C
 _sounds_ the B-flat one tone lower.  If played on the A clarinet, the
 same written note sounds the A (one and half tones – a minor third –
 lower).
 
    Not all transposing instruments include the pitch class in their
 name:
 
    • Alto flute (in G)
    • English horn (in F)
    • Saxophones (in B-flat or E-flat)
 
 
 See also
 ........
 
    concert pitch.
 

Info Catalog music-glossary: tonic music-glossary: Musical terms A-Z music-glossary: transposition