clarinet transposition: B♭, A and E♭ clarinets
the B♭ clarinet, the one in nearly every band and most orchestras, sounds a major 2nd lower than written. its sheet music is therefore written a whole step above concert pitch, in a key with two more sharps or two fewer flats. the A and E♭ clarinets use different intervals, covered below.
- B♭ clarinet: write a major 2nd above concert pitch.
- A clarinet: a minor 3rd above. E♭ clarinet: a minor 3rd below.
- the charts below give all three for every key and note.
the interval for B♭ clarinet
write each note a major 2nd higher than it sounds: one letter name up and two half steps. concert B♭ becomes written C, and concert F♯ becomes written G♯. bass clarinet in B♭, when written in treble clef as most modern parts are, adds an octave to this and sits a major 9th above concert pitch.
written vs concert: a melody in F major
the opening of a simple tune in concert F major, and the same notes as a B♭ clarinet player reads them in G major.
| note | concert pitch | written for B♭ clarinet |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | D |
| 2 | F | G |
| 3 | A | B |
| 4 | B♭ | C |
| 5 | A | B |
| 6 | G | A |
| 7 | E | F♯ |
| 8 | F | G |
concert E becomes F♯ because G major, the written key, has an F♯ in it.
A clarinet and E♭ clarinet
the A clarinet sounds a minor 3rd lower than written, so its part goes up a minor 3rd from concert pitch: concert C is written E♭. composers choose it for sharp keys, where a B♭ clarinet part would collect awkward sharps. the small E♭ clarinet works the other way round. it sounds a minor 3rd higher than written, so its part is written a minor 3rd below concert pitch, and concert C appears as A.
range and registers
the B♭ clarinet's written range runs from the E below middle C to about the C three octaves above middle C, which in concert pitch is D3 to B♭6 (middle C is C4). players talk about it in registers. the low chalumeau register is dark and full. the throat tones, written G to B♭ just above middle C, are the weakest notes. above them the clarion register is bright and clear, and the altissimo register at the top is powerful but harder to control. crossing the break between written B♭ and B in the middle of the staff takes practice, so fast passages that rock back and forth across it are hard for young players.
writing for clarinet
the clarinet moves easily and plays very softly, which makes it good for inner lines and long legato melodies. keep beginner parts between the written G below middle C and the C an octave above middle C, and avoid sitting on the throat tones for an important tune. to convert a whole line at once, paste it into the transposer and pick B♭ clarinet, A clarinet or E♭ clarinet.
all 12 major keys for clarinet
the B♭ clarinet part goes up a whole step, the A clarinet part up a minor 3rd and the E♭ clarinet part down a minor 3rd. the A column shows why composers pick it for sharp keys: concert E major, four sharps for the orchestra, is G major for an A clarinet. notei's notation editor writes these parts at the right pitch for you, but the table is the quick check.
| concert key | B♭ clarinet | key signature | A clarinet | E♭ clarinet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C major (none) | D major | 2 sharps | E♭ major | A major |
| G major (1 sharp) | A major | 3 sharps | B♭ major | E major |
| D major (2 sharps) | E major | 4 sharps | F major | B major |
| A major (3 sharps) | B major | 5 sharps | C major | F♯ major |
| E major (4 sharps) | F♯ major | 6 sharps | G major | D♭ major |
| B major (5 sharps) | D♭ major | 5 flats | D major | A♭ major |
| F♯ major (6 sharps) | A♭ major | 4 flats | A major | E♭ major |
| D♭ major (5 flats) | E♭ major | 3 flats | E major | B♭ major |
| A♭ major (4 flats) | B♭ major | 2 flats | B major | F major |
| E♭ major (3 flats) | F major | 1 flat | G♭ major | C major |
| B♭ major (2 flats) | C major | none | D♭ major | G major |
| F major (1 flat) | G major | 1 sharp | A♭ major | D major |
every note, concert and written
each column applies its clarinet's interval to the same concert note, spelled by letter name.
| concert pitch | B♭ clarinet | A clarinet | E♭ clarinet |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | D | E♭ | A |
| C♯ | D♯ | E | A♯ |
| D | E | F | B |
| E♭ | F | G♭ | C |
| E | F♯ | G | C♯ |
| F | G | A♭ | D |
| F♯ | G♯ | A | D♯ |
| G | A | B♭ | E |
| A♭ | B♭ | C♭ | F |
| A | B | C | F♯ |
| B♭ | C | D♭ | G |
| B | C♯ | D | G♯ |
common questions
what key is a clarinet in?
the standard clarinet is in B♭: a written C sounds as the B♭ below. orchestras also use the A clarinet, and bands and orchestras sometimes add the small E♭ clarinet and the B♭ bass clarinet.
when do composers use an A clarinet?
in sharp concert keys. a piece in A or E major would put a B♭ clarinet in B or F♯ major, with five or six sharps, while the A clarinet reads it in C or G major.
how is bass clarinet music written?
most modern bass clarinet parts are in treble clef, a major 9th above concert pitch: the B♭ clarinet's interval plus an octave. some older parts use bass clef with a different octave, so check the edition.
sources
- Vienna Symphonic Library: clarinet
- Yamaha musical instrument guide: clarinet
- 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.
notei writes B♭ clarinet parts at the right pitch for you, and its Transpose tool moves a passage to a new key when the range does not fit. both are on the free plan.
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