You can't always tell a book by its cover!

Here are fingering charts for some woodwind instruments. The flute is a non-transposed instrument. What is meant by that is the flute sounds in the key of "C" and reads scripted music in the key of "C." What you hear and what you see, is what you get. However this is not true for the Clarinet and the Saxophone. The clarinet is made in the key of "Bb" and the sax is in "Eb."

When learning the clarinet you are taught to read the scripted music in the Key of "C" even though you are sounding the key of "Bb." That means if you are given some piano music to read, the melody will sound one full step lower then it looks and hence you and the piano will naturally be out of tune with each other. Reading "C" and sounding a "Bb" is one whole step off. To compound the problem, fingering charts written for the clarinet often don't tell you this and show the notes on the staff as they are written and not as they sound. Every time a clarinet player buys say, a "Music Fake Book" of Rock and Roll songs they would have to transpose the key of all of the songs up a whole tone higher in pitch. I.E. If the piece in the Fake book is in "A" major then the clarinet player must use the fingering for a "B" major scale in order to sound correctly while playing with the piano. The key of "B" fingerings will sound like "A" on the piano or flute. The clarinet must play a Major 2nd higher to SOUND in the same key as a piano. The saxophone is cut to the key of "Eb." So, when reading the key of "C" the instrument is sounding in "Eb" a minor 3rd off. You would have to play the Key of "A" fingerings on a Sax to actually sound the key of "C" playing 3 half steps lower then the music looks.

All fingering charts have been modified to show the Sounded key. Concert pitch is hand written to the side of the scripted key.

Soprano & Tenor Recorder "Non-transposable key of C."

Clarinet "Transposable in the key of Bb."

Alto Saxophone "Transposable in the key of Eb."

Tenor Saxophone "Transposable in the key of Bb."

Flute "Non-transposable in the key of C."

Oboe "Non-transposable in the key of C."

Bassoon "Non-transposable in the key of C."