Alto · tenor · baritone · soprano
Alto sax transposition
Concert pitch in, alto sax part out.
The alto sax is an E♭ instrument: it sounds a major sixth lower than written. To play a part in concert pitch — for piano, flute, violin or voice — every note moves up a major sixth. Below is the chart for every note and key, for tenor, baritone and soprano sax too. Or photograph the part and download it transposed for your sax.
Transpose for alto saxTool
Photograph the part, play it on sax.
neumascan reads the printed part; under Transpose, “Alto sax (E♭)” writes it up a major sixth — key signature and accidentals included. Then download a PDF to print, MusicXML or MIDI.
… or drop it here. JPEG, PNG, HEIC or PDF, up to 8 MB.
Your first scan needs no sign-in; for more you create a free account. Your photo is sent to an AI service for recognition and stays in your library: 90 days without an account, with one until you delete it. Please only upload music you are allowed to use. Privacy details (German).
Chart
Alto sax transposition chart.
Find the concert note, read the note to play. Alto and baritone sax share the E♭ column (the bari an octave lower), tenor and soprano sax the B♭ column (the tenor an octave lower).
Concert pitch to sax: notes
| Concert pitch | Alto & bari sax (E♭) | Tenor & soprano sax (B♭) |
|---|---|---|
| C | A | D |
| D♭ | B♭ | E♭ |
| D | B | E |
| E♭ | C | F |
| E | C♯ | F♯ |
| F | D | G |
| G♭ | E♭ | A♭ |
| G | E | A |
| A♭ | F | B♭ |
| A | F♯ | B |
| B♭ | G | C |
| B | G♯ | C♯ |
Concert pitch to sax: key signatures
| Concert pitch | Alto & bari sax (E♭) | Tenor & soprano sax (B♭) |
|---|---|---|
| C major | A major (3♯) | D major (2♯) |
| F major (1♭) | D major (2♯) | G major (1♯) |
| B♭ major (2♭) | G major (1♯) | C major |
| E♭ major (3♭) | C major | F major (1♭) |
| A♭ major (4♭) | F major (1♭) | B♭ major (2♭) |
| G major (1♯) | E major (4♯) | A major (3♯) |
| D major (2♯) | B major (5♯) | E major (4♯) |
Every other transposing instrument — clarinet, trumpet, horn and more — is in the transposition chart for all instruments.
Every sax
Tenor, baritone and soprano sax transposition.
All saxophones read the same written notes with the same fingerings — only how far they sound from what is written differs.
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Alto sax in E♭
Sounds a major sixth lower than written. From concert pitch: up a major sixth (or down a minor third, an octave lower) — concert C becomes A, C major becomes A major.
Instrument “Alto sax (E♭)”
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Tenor sax in B♭
Sounds a major ninth lower — an octave plus a major second. From concert pitch: up a major ninth, two more sharps — C major becomes D major.
Instrument “Tenor sax (B♭)”
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Baritone sax in E♭
Sounds an octave and a major sixth lower. It reads the same written notes as the alto: from concert pitch, up an octave and a major sixth.
Instrument “Baritone sax (E♭)”
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Soprano sax in B♭
Sounds a major second lower, like the B♭ clarinet and trumpet: from concert pitch, up a major second.
Instrument “Soprano sax (B♭)”
Between saxes: an alto part on tenor sax goes up a perfect fourth, a tenor part on alto down a perfect fourth. Alto and bari read the same parts, and so do tenor and soprano. A part for B♭ clarinet or trumpet becomes an alto sax part a perfect fifth up.
How it works
From any part to your sax part.
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Upload
Photo or PDF of the part — in concert pitch, or for another instrument.
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Transpose
Pick your sax from the list — “Alto sax (E♭)” writes it up a major sixth — or any interval, up or down.
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Download
PDF to print, MusicXML for MuseScore & co., or MIDI to listen.
Pricing
- Free 4 staves per piece, 1 piece a day, 5 a month
- Per page €1.99, free pages from 10 pages
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Questions
Sax transposition, briefly.
How do I transpose for alto sax?
Move every note of the concert-pitch part up a major sixth (or down a minor third) and add three sharps to the key signature: concert C major becomes A major. In neumascan, pick “Alto sax (E♭)” under Transpose.
How do I transpose piano music for alto sax?
Piano music is in concert pitch, so the melody also moves up a major sixth. neumascan transposes every staff of a piano score together — it doesn’t yet take the melody out of the piano part on its own. If the melody has a staff of its own, as in a song for voice and piano, you can play it from the transposed score.
How do I transpose alto sax to concert pitch?
The other way round: every note down a major sixth (or up a minor third). In neumascan, choose “major sixth ↓”. For tenor sax, go down a major second — the notes then sound an octave higher than the tenor.
How do I transpose for tenor sax?
From concert pitch up a major ninth: an octave plus a major second, with two more sharps in the key signature. In neumascan, pick “Tenor sax (B♭)” under Transpose.
Can I print the transposed part?
Yes. neumascan gives you the transposed part as an A4 PDF — with the title and a note on what it was transposed for. No notation software needed; MusicXML opens in MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico or Finale.