Tenor Saxophone
Quick Facts
- Instrument Key
- B♭
- Transposition Interval
- Major 9th down (octave + major 2nd)
- Written C sounds as
- B♭2
- Instrument Family
- woodwind
- Instrument Page
- Tenor Saxophone on Tunable
Written vs. Sounding Pitch — Frequency Table
Each row shows a written pitch (as it appears in the score) and the concert-pitch note that sounds when played. Frequencies are equal temperament at A4=440Hz.
Key Signature Conversion Table
When the conductor names a concert key, this table shows what key signature the Tenor Saxophone player reads. The player reads the written key; the audience hears the sounding key.
Practical Scenarios
Jazz Saxophone Section: Concert Pitch F
The alto saxophone is playing a concert-pitch F4. The tenor saxophone plays the same written note (C4 written) but sounds B♭2 — two octaves below. Wait: to sound the same F4 concert pitch as the alto, the tenor plays a written G4 (sounds F3, one octave below). Part-writing must account for the octave displacement.
Reading Treble vs. Bass Clef Parts
The tenor saxophone always reads treble clef with B♭ transposition, but sounds in the baritone voice range. A pianist seeing the tenor part must mentally transpose down a major 9th (major 2nd + octave) to find the concert pitch.
Tuning with a Tuner: Target Concert Pitch
The band is tuning to concert B♭3 (233.08 Hz). The tenor saxophone player tunes their written C4 (261.63 Hz written, sounds B♭2 = 116.54 Hz). For concert B♭3, the player must play written C5 — sounds B♭3 (233.08 Hz).
Why Does the Tenor Saxophone Transpose?
The tenor saxophone sounds an octave lower than the soprano saxophone — both are in B♭ but in different registers. This octave displacement within the B♭ key group is a deliberate part of the saxophone family design. Adolphe Sax paired larger instruments with the same transposition key but in the lower octave, so the written range of all B♭ saxophones (soprano and tenor) is identical on paper, despite sounding an octave apart. The tenor's rich, full sound made it the central voice of jazz saxophone sections from the 1920s onward.
Tune Your Tenor Saxophone with Precision — Get Tunable.
Tunable's chromatic tuner shows exact Hz values in real time. Tune to equal temperament A4=440Hz or explore all 16 temperament systems.
