How to transpose a tune
- Find the new key: move the key note by the interval and write that key signature. A minor key stays minor.
- Move every note by the same number of letter names, in the same direction, keeping the rhythm.
- Check each accidental: a raised note stays raised, so the sign you write can change.
For the instruments here, the interval is how far below the written note it sounds. Concert pitch goes down by that interval; a part for the instrument goes up by it.
Six tasks
- An octave higher or lower, in the same clef or between treble and bass.
- Up or down a major or minor 2nd or 3rd, with the new key signature.
- Up or down a perfect 4th or 5th.
- A part for clarinet, trumpet, horn, English horn or alto saxophone, written out at concert pitch.
- Concert pitch written out for one of those instruments.
- Alto and tenor clefs at the same pitch, any interval within an octave, and instruments both ways.
An example from set GRADE5
Tune 1 is in E minor (one sharp) and ends on E. Down a perfect 4th, E minor becomes B minor (two sharps). Each note moves down 4 letter names counting both ends: G to D, A to E, B to F♯, D to A. The raised 6th and 7th of E minor, C♯ and D♯, become G♯ and A♯, the raised 6th and 7th of B minor, still written as accidentals. Open set GRADE5
Questions
How do you transpose a melody up a major 2nd?
Find the new key first: move the key note up a major 2nd (C major becomes D major) and write its key signature. Then move every note up one letter name. A note that had an accidental moves the same way, so its sign can change: E natural in B♭ major becomes F sharp in C major.
How do you write a clarinet in B♭ part at concert pitch?
A clarinet in B♭ sounds a major 2nd lower than written. For concert pitch, move every note and the key down a major 2nd: a part written in D major is concert C major. To write the part from concert pitch, go up a major 2nd.
Which way do horn in F, alto saxophone and clarinet in A transpose?
Horn in F and English horn sound a perfect 5th lower than written. Alto saxophone in E♭ sounds a major 6th lower, and clarinet in A a minor 3rd lower. Concert pitch is that far below the written note; the written part is that far above concert pitch.
Where is middle C in the alto and tenor clefs?
The middle of the C clef marks middle C. In the alto clef it is the middle line; in the tenor clef, the fourth line up. The key signature moves with the clef, and tenor clef sharps start low, with F♯ on the second line.
Does a transposed horn part need a key signature?
These answers always give the new part its key signature. Some orchestral horn parts are written without one, using accidentals instead. Ask your teacher which way your exam wants it.
Which exam boards does it follow?
Trinity Grades 2 to 5 (an octave, a perfect 4th or 5th, then any interval and transposing instruments), RCM Levels 5 to 8 (octaves and clefs up to concert pitch for B♭ and F instruments) and AP Music Theory, where the interval is always given. The board's rules print on every sheet.
How are my answers marked?
Each note must be the exact pitch: right letter, sharp or flat, and octave. A note that sounds right but is spelled differently, like G♭ for F♯, is marked wrong, as on a theory paper. When the question asks for the new key, that counts as one more mark.
How do I use this with a class?
Share with class sends a link to the same tunes. To stop copying, print a class set: each student gets different tunes, and the keys follow, labelled by copy number.
Checked 26 October 2026: Trinity College London Theory of Music syllabus (PDF), Grades 2 to 6; RCM Theory Syllabus, 2016 edition (PDF), Levels 5 to 8; AP Music Theory Course and Exam Description (PDF), topic 2.10 and PIT-1.N; instrument intervals from the University of Mary Washington transposition appendix (PDF).