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Music Theory

Online Baritone Saxophone Tuner

The baritone saxophone tuner works right in your browser, with no app to install. It listens through your microphone and shows in real time, on a cents meter, how far your note is above or below the pitch.

Because the baritone saxophone is a E♭ transposing instrument, the tuner shows both the sounding note and the written note you read on the page. The A4 reference is adjustable.

Tuner
teoriamusical.com.es
Tuning
Sounding note
—
Written note
—
— ¢
−50¢−25¢0+25¢+50¢
A4 reference
A4 = 440 Hz
Transposing instrument
0 st
Reference notes — tap to listen
Info
—Note
—Hz
—Cents

The baritone saxophone: a E♭ transposing instrument

The baritone saxophone is pitched in E♭. When the player reads a written C, the sounding note is E♭, a major thirteenth below the written pitch. The tuner shows the sounding note (concert pitch) and, because the transposing box is on, the written note too.

Written note (sheet music) Sounding note (what the tuner shows) Frequency
A3C265.4 Hz
B♭3D♭269.3 Hz
C5E♭3155.6 Hz
F♯5A3220.0 Hz
F6A♭4415.3 Hz

To tune to A = 440 Hz, play the written F♯5 (it sounds A3, 220.0 Hz) and center the needle at 0¢. The tuner works in any octave, so the cents meter reads the same for A3 as for the A one octave higher. Concert A is the note most bands and orchestras use as a tuning reference.

The lowest sounding note of a baritone is about 69.3 Hz (written low B♭, sounding D♭2). Many baritones go a half step lower with a low A key: written A3 sounds C2, about 65.4 Hz. The highest regular note (written F) sounds about 415.3 Hz. All of this is above the tuner’s limit of about 40 Hz, so no standard baritone note is out of range. Notes this low are still weak on a phone microphone: see the tips below.

About the Written note column: the panel shows the right letter, but its octave number can read one octave lower than sheet music, because the transposition control stops at 12 semitones and your instrument sounds more than an octave below written pitch. Use the table above for the written octave.

Which saxophone is which?

The four main saxophones differ in size, key and register:

  • Soprano: B♭, the smallest of the four. Most are straight, like a metal clarinet. Sounds a major second below written.
  • Alto: E♭, the most common saxophone and the usual first one. Sounds a major sixth below written.
  • Tenor: B♭, larger, with a curved neck. Sounds a major ninth below written (an octave plus a major second).
  • Baritone: E♭, the largest of the four, with an extra loop of tubing at the top. Sounds a major thirteenth below written (an octave plus a major sixth).

The four use the same fingerings and are written in treble clef in about the same written range (low B♭ up to high F, plus a high F♯ key on most modern instruments). Because each size sounds lower, the same written note comes out in a different register. Soprano and tenor are an octave apart, and so are alto and baritone. Sopranino and bass saxophones also exist, but this site has no tuner page for them. For the general saxophone tuner, see the saxophone tuner.

How to adjust the tuning of a baritone saxophone

  • Mouthpiece position: this is the main adjustment. Slide the mouthpiece farther onto the neck cork and the pitch goes up. Pull it out and the pitch goes down. Mark a line on the cork once you find your spot.
  • Warm up first: play for a few minutes before you tune. A saxophone goes sharp as the air inside it warms up, so tuning cold gives a wrong result.
  • Embouchure and air: biting harder raises the pitch and a loose embouchure lowers it. Tune with a relaxed, steady sound, and do not “fix” the pitch with your lip.
  • Check more than one note: after the reference note, test a low note and a high one. If they are far from each other, the cause is usually the embouchure or the reed, not the mouthpiece position.
  • Transposing box is on: this page already uses the E♭ setting, so you see the written and the sounding note at the same time.
  • Low notes: hold the phone or laptop close to the bell, play a steady, full note, and wait a moment for the reading to settle. If the tuner jumps to a note an octave higher, play that note an octave up and tune that one instead.

Frequently asked questions: baritone saxophone tuner

Why does the tuner show E♭ when I play a C on the baritone saxophone?
The baritone saxophone is a E♭ transposing instrument. A written C sounds E♭, a major thirteenth lower. The tuner always shows the sounding note (concert pitch) and, with the transposing box on, the written note too.
Which note do I play to tune the baritone saxophone to A = 440 Hz?
Play the written F♯5. It sounds concert A in a lower octave (A3, 220.0 Hz). Center the needle at 0¢ and adjust the mouthpiece position until it stays there.
Does the tuner read the low notes of the baritone?
Yes. The lowest note of a standard baritone (written low B♭) sounds D♭2, about 69.3 Hz, and a low A key adds C2, about 65.4 Hz. Both are above the tuner’s limit of about 40 Hz. They are still weak on a phone microphone, so bring the bell close and keep the room quiet. If the tuner shows a note an octave higher, tune that note an octave up.
How is the baritone different from the alto?
Both are E♭ instruments and use the same written notes and fingerings. The baritone sounds an octave lower than the alto and is the largest of the four. The tuner setting is the same for both.
Does the tuner work with any mouthpiece?
Yes. The mouthpiece and reed change the tone and the general pitch, but the tuner reads the fundamental frequency whatever the material. A reed in good condition gives a clearer reading.

Once your saxophone is in tune, work on your time and articulation with the online metronome.

Other tuners