transposing instrument

noun

1. a musical instrument played at a pitch different from that indicated in the score.

transposing instrument

noun

1. a musical instrument, esp a horn or clarinet, pitched in a key other than C major, but whose music is written down as if its basic scale were C major. A piece of music in the key of F intended to be played on a horn pitched in F is therefore written down a fourth lower than an ordinary part in that key and has the same key signature as a part written in C

Word History and Origins

Origin of transposing instrument¹

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Like the clarinet, the basset horn is a transposing instrument, its music being written a fifth higher than the actual sounds.

From Project Gutenberg

It sounds an octave lower than the music written for it, being what is called a transposing instrument of sixteen-foot tone.

From Project Gutenberg

For this reason the clarinet is called a transposing instrument.

From Project Gutenberg