B♭ trumpet transposition
the B♭ trumpet sounds a major 2nd lower than written. to turn concert pitch sheet music into a trumpet part, write every note a whole step higher and move the key signature up a whole step with it. cornet and flugelhorn in B♭ read exactly the same way.
- write B♭ trumpet parts a major 2nd above concert pitch.
- the key signature gains two sharps or loses two flats.
- the charts below cover all 12 keys and every note.
the interval: a major 2nd
a written C on a B♭ trumpet sounds concert B♭, which is where the name comes from. going from concert pitch to the trumpet part means moving up a major 2nd: two half steps and one letter name. counting the letter as well as the half steps is what keeps the spelling right. concert E♭ becomes F, and concert A♭ becomes B♭; writing E♯ or A♯ instead would be the same sound, but the player would be reading in the wrong key.
written vs concert: the B♭ major scale
here is the concert B♭ major scale, the first one most school bands learn, and the notes a trumpet player reads for it.
| scale degree | concert pitch (what you hear) | written for B♭ trumpet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | B♭ | C |
| 2 | C | D |
| 3 | D | E |
| 4 | E♭ | F |
| 5 | F | G |
| 6 | G | A |
| 7 | A | B |
| 8 | B♭ | C |
the two flats of concert B♭ major disappear: the trumpet reads the same scale in C major.
common band keys on trumpet
concert E♭ major is written in F major, concert F major in G major, concert A♭ major in B♭ major and concert C major in D major. the trumpet key always has two more sharps, or two fewer flats, than the concert key, because it sits two steps clockwise on the circle of fifths.
range
the usual written range runs from F♯ below middle C up to the C two octaves above middle C, often called high C. in concert pitch that is E3 to B♭5, counting middle C as C4. strong players go higher, but parts for school and community groups sit most comfortably between written G above middle C and the G an octave higher, with the top of the range saved for short moments.
writing for trumpet
trumpet players need breaths and rest more than most players, since a long high passage tires the lips quickly. give a few bars off after a loud or high section. mutes change the colour a lot, so mark them a few bars ahead to allow time to put one in. orchestral parts are sometimes written for trumpet in C, which reads at concert pitch; if your part is for that instrument, no transposition is needed.
to convert a whole chord chart or melody at once, paste it into the transposer and choose B♭ trumpet.
all 12 major keys for B♭ trumpet
every concert key moves up a whole step for trumpet, which adds two sharps or removes two flats. where that would land in a key with seven sharps, the part uses the simpler enharmonic key instead. notei's notation editor writes these parts at the right pitch for you, but the table is the quick check.
| concert key | B♭ trumpet part | trumpet key signature |
|---|---|---|
| C major (none) | D major | 2 sharps |
| G major (1 sharp) | A major | 3 sharps |
| D major (2 sharps) | E major | 4 sharps |
| A major (3 sharps) | B major | 5 sharps |
| E major (4 sharps) | F♯ major | 6 sharps |
| B major (5 sharps) | D♭ major | 5 flats |
| F♯ major (6 sharps) | A♭ major | 4 flats |
| D♭ major (5 flats) | E♭ major | 3 flats |
| A♭ major (4 flats) | B♭ major | 2 flats |
| E♭ major (3 flats) | F major | 1 flat |
| B♭ major (2 flats) | C major | none |
| F major (1 flat) | G major | 1 sharp |
every note, concert and written
the same interval for every note: one letter name and two half steps up. B♭ cornet and flugelhorn parts are written the same way.
| concert pitch | written for B♭ trumpet |
|---|---|
| C | D |
| C♯ | D♯ |
| D | E |
| E♭ | F |
| E | F♯ |
| F | G |
| F♯ | G♯ |
| G | A |
| A♭ | B♭ |
| A | B |
| B♭ | C |
| B | C♯ |
common questions
what key is a trumpet in?
most trumpets are in B♭: a written C sounds as the B♭ a whole step below. orchestras also use trumpets in C, which do not transpose, and a few parts are written for trumpets in E♭ or D.
what is concert B♭ on trumpet?
a written C. a band tunes to concert B♭, so trumpet players play their written C when the band tunes, which makes a quick check that a part was transposed the right way.
are cornet and flugelhorn parts written the same way?
yes, for the B♭ cornet and B♭ flugelhorn: both read a whole step above concert pitch, exactly like the B♭ trumpet, so the same part works for all three.
why does a trumpet part have a different key signature from the piano part?
because the part is written a whole step higher. a song in concert F major, with one flat, appears in G major, with one sharp, on the trumpet part.
sources
- Vienna Symphonic Library: trumpet
- Yamaha musical instrument guide: trumpet
- Wikipedia: transposing instrument
notei publishes this guide, and notei is our product. written and checked by the notei team. how these guides are written and corrected.
in notei you can add a B♭ trumpet to a score and the editor handles the transposition, so the written part matches what the trumpet should sound. it is on the free plan.
write it in notei