Imagine how tricky it would be to have a bunch of instruments in different keys playing together. If the conductor says, “Everyone, play an A!” which A should they play?

That’s where concert pitch comes in. Concert pitch is the standard pitch used for performances, set at A=440Hz.

It’s like a universal language for musicians so that when the conductor asks for an A, everyone knows exactly which pitch to play, no matter what instrument they have.

Some instruments, like the piano or the flute, are already in concert pitch. We call these “concert pitch instruments.”

But others, like the clarinet or the trumpet, have a different “written pitch” on the page than the “sounding pitch” that comes out.

These are called “transposing instruments.”

The History of Concert Pitch

Before the 20th century, there were no real standards for pitch. Tunings varied a lot depending on where and when you were playing.

Even famous composers like Mozart and Handel had their own preferences (Mozart was known to have liked A=422Hz, while Handel preferred A=423Hz).

But as concert venues got bigger and radio broadcasts became popular, people realized we needed a universal standard. In 1939, everyone finally agreed on A=440Hz as the concert pitch, and we still use it today.

Transposing Instruments

Instruments that are not in concert pitch are called transposing instruments.

Transposition is simply taking a melody, chord sequence, or whole piece of music and changing the pitch of the notes while keeping the relative intervals between them the same.

Usually, a composer will write out the transposition for each instrument’s part. That way, you can just play what’s written on the page, and the notes that come out will be correct in concert pitch. 

However, if you are playing music that was not specifically written for your instrument, you might have to do the transposition in your head.

Most people who play a transposing instrument have a basic ability to transpose to concert pitch in order to tune and play scales with their ensemble. 

The Keys of Common Instruments

Here is a list of instruments found in band and orchestra and the keys they are tuned to.

When a Bb instrument plays its C, the note that comes out is a Concert Bb. As you can see, transposing instruments are mainly found in the wind family.

Concert Pitch Instruments

• Piccolo
• Flute
• Oboe
• Bassoon
• Trombone
• Tuba
• Violin
• Viola
• Cello
• Double Bass
• Piano
• Guitar

Bb Instruments

• Clarinet
• Bass Clarinet
• Soprano Saxophone
• Tenor Saxophone
• Trumpet

Eb Instruments

• Alto Saxophone
• Baritone Saxophone

F Instruments

• French Horn
• English Horn

*Some instruments can be made in different keys. For example, the clarinet is listed in its standard key of Bb, but you could specify which type of clarinet by saying “Bb clarinet,” “A clarinet,” etc.

Why are Instruments Tuned to Different Keys?

You may be thinking, “Wouldn’t it be easier to make all the instruments in concert pitch?” It seems intuitive that way, but here are a few reasons why an instrument might not be in concert pitch: 

To Make the Music Easier to Read

One reason we have transposing instruments is to make music easier to read.

Depending on an instrument’s range, writing all the notes in concert pitch might cause the music to have many ledger lines.

This can be annoying–both for the player to read and for the composer and/or publisher to fit onto the page.

To Keep Fingerings Consistent

Another reason instruments are in different keys is to keep fingerings the same for instruments in the same family.

For instance, soprano and tenor saxophones are in Bb, while alto and baritone saxophones are in Eb.

If we were to make them all in the same key, saxophone players would have to switch fingerings when switching between these instruments.

To Help with Tuning

Lastly, some instruments are in different keys to make them easier to tune.

Each instrument–especially wind instruments–has its own tuning tendencies. Some notes tend to be sharp, while others might go flat.

While it’s the player’s responsibility to adjust accordingly, having an instrument in a different key might help with tuning issues.

Summing Up

We hope that you now have a better sense of what concert pitch is and why not all instruments are in concert pitch.  

If you have any questions about things that we haven’t covered, feel free to get in touch, and we’ll get back to you.

The acronym stands for “beats per minute.” Like the name suggests, BPM is how many beats you can fit in a minute.

With that in mind, can you figure out how many BPM the seconds hand on a clock moves at? 

There are 60 seconds in one minute, so the seconds hand moves at 60 BPM.

You can think of BPM like a pie. The more slices you want to cut out of a pie, the smaller each slice has to be. Likewise, the more beats you want to fit into a minute, the smaller the amount of time each beat has to be.

So a higher BPM means a faster tempo, and a lower BPM means a slower tempo.

What Is Tempo?

To fully understand BPM, it will help to have a basic understanding of tempo. Tempo is the word we use to describe the speed at which a passage of music is or should be played. 

Should it be played at a fast, medium, or slow tempo? 

The faster the tempo, the more beats per minute there will be. And vice versa — the slower the tempo, the fewer beats per minute there will be.

How BPM Is Marked In Music 

If a composer wants you to play their piece at a specific BPM, they will mark it like this:

Type of note (quarter note, half note, etc.) = the BPM number

For example:

This marking tells us that there should be 70 quarter-note beats played in one minute.

The BPM Of Common Tempo Markings

Instead of writing an exact BPM, a composer may use a word to describe the tempo they want. This is because when these composers were composing, there was no accurate way to work out the BPM they wanted.

It wasn’t until the metronome was invented in 1815 that they were able to be more specific about their desired tempo.

These tempo markings are often written in Italian, and they encompass a range of BPM. Here are some common tempo markings and their BPMs:

• Larghissimo — extremely slow (< 24 BPM)
• Grave — very slow, solemnly (25-45 BPM)
• Largo — broadly (40-60 BPM)
• Lento — slowly (45-60 BPM)
• Adagio — slowly, with great expression (66-76 BPM)
• Andante — at a walking pace (76-108 BPM)
• Andantino — slightly faster than andante (80-108 BPM)
• Moderato — at a moderate speed (98-112 BPM)
• Allegro — fast, quickly, and bright (120-156 BPM)
• Vivace — lively and fast (156-176 BPM)
• Presto — very, very fast (168-200 BPM)

Working With A Metronome

To work out the BPM of a piece of music, you are going to need a metronome. This is a tool that can be set to your desired BPM and will tick at that speed. Think of it like a measuring tape for time. 

You can use a metronome to help you play at a certain tempo or to find the tempo of a piece of music you hear.

Nowadays, there are lots of options, but the most convenient are online metronomes.

How To Find A Song’s BPM

You can find a song’s BPM by matching the beat to a metronome. Many metronome apps also have a function that will tell you the BPM if you tap along to the beat.

If you want to get a feel for how different BPMs sound, you can go to our online metronome and set the BPM to different speeds!

Summing Up

We hope that helped make a bit more sense of what exactly BPM is in music. It’s a very important part of music as the speed a song is played can dramatically affect the entire personality of the piece.

If you have any questions about things that we haven’t covered, feel free to get in touch, and we’ll get back to you.