Editing Transposing instrument (section)

=== Ease of switching instruments ===
Some instruments are constructed in a variety of sizes, with the larger versions having a lower [[Range (music)|range]] than the smaller ones. Common examples are [[clarinets]] (the high E{{music|flat}} clarinet, soprano instruments in C, B{{music|flat}} and A, the alto in E{{music|flat}}, and the bass in B{{music|flat}}), [[flutes]] (the [[piccolo]], transposing at the octave, the standard concert-pitch flute, and the [[alto flute]] in G), [[saxophones]] (in several octaves in B{{music|flat}} and E{{music|flat}}), and [[trumpets]] (the common instrument in B{{music|flat}}, instruments in C, D and E{{music|flat}}, and the [[piccolo trumpet]] transposing at the octave). Music is often written in transposed form for these groups of instruments so that the [[Fingering (music)|fingerings]] correspond to the same written notes for any instrument in the family, even though the sounding pitches will differ. A musician who plays several instruments in a family can thus read music in the same way regardless of which particular instrument is being used.

Instruments that transpose this way are often said to be in a certain "key" (e.g., the "B{{music|flat}} clarinet" or "clarinet in B{{music|flat}}"). This refers to the concert pitch that is heard when a written C is played on the instrument in question. Playing a written C produces a concert B{{music|flat}} on a B{{music|flat}} clarinet, a concert A on an A clarinet, and a concert C on a C clarinet (this last example is a non-transposing instrument).