Playing With Other Instruments
When you play a note on the saxophone, the sound it makes may be different to the sound produced by the same note on another instrument. For example, if you play a C note on the alto saxophone, a guitar would have to play an Eb note for the two instruments to be producing the same sound.
If you play a C note on the tenor saxophone, the guitar must play a Bb note to produce the same pitch. This is why the saxophone is said to be a transposing instrument.
The following chart shows you which note you have to play in order to produce the same pitch as some other instruments. For example, if you want to play along with a guitarist who is playing in the key of C, you will need to play in the key of A if you are using an alto sax, or in the key of D if you are using a tenor sax.
