What is the clarinet tuned to?


P.S. If you don't get what I'm saying, all instruments are tuned to a Concert note. Piano is tuned to C, banjo/guitar aren't really tuned to anything, etc. The alto saxophone is tuned to Conert Eb. I think clarinet might be Bb, but I'm not sure. Anyway, to continue with the example of the saxophone: being tuned to Concert Eb means that an Eb on alto saxophone is the same as a C on piano. Eb is three half-steps/semi-tones up from C, so to transpose piano music to alto saxophone, you would move all of the notes up three half-steps. If I'm right in remembering the clarinet as Bb, you would move all of the clarinet notes a full step/two half-steps up to play them on banjo. Is this making sense?

Your right about the clarinet. So if the note is on the first line I would move the note up to the second line to play it on the banjo? But what would I do if the notes are below the last line or in between the lines?

Yes, the most common clarinet today is in Bb.


Do you mean the written or sounding notes? I'm sort of confused as to what you're saying.

You have to move the written Bb Cl notes down a whole-step on paper to play them on a piano. Just remember: Clarinet in Bb sounds a whole-step down from the written note.

I have a few books on orchestration...I'll make a point to figure out any shortcuts for transposing over the weekend. I'm busy with moving right now...but I should know this stuff anyway.

Basically, when I'm ready to transpose for the clarinet, I take my "Piano part" and copy those notes for the Bb Cl a whole-step higher and bump the key sig two notches clockwise on the circle of fifths.

(BTW: The guitar is also a transposing instrument...but it's an octave, so it's not too hard to adjust to this.)

Can't you just play the intervals in whatever scale you want anyway?

Of course, but if you're trying to read off sheet music for band or orchestra for whatever reason, you're SOL without knowing a little about transposition.

Written, I suppose. Wouldn't you move the written Bb Cl notes up a whole step to play them on piano, since the clarinet is tuned a whole step down from C?

The problem with that logic is that the notes for the clarinet part were already moved up from concert pitch when it was transposed in the first place. You need to move it back down to concert pitch.

If you look at a clarinet part...and the first note is written C, it's sounding pitch is Bb (and you want the piano to play the sounding or concert pitch). If you do as you say and move the written C up a whole step and give it to the piano player, he's going to play a D.

For trumpets and clarinets in D, what you're saying is accurate.