Transposing instrument

A transposing instrument is a musical instrument for which music notation is not written at concert pitch. For example, playing a written middle C on a transposing instrument produces a pitch other than middle C; that sounding pitch identifies the interval of transposition when describing the instrument. Playing a written C on clarinet or soprano saxophone produces a concert B♭, so these are referred to as B♭ instruments.

Providing transposed music for these instruments is a convention of musical notation.
The instruments do not transpose the music; rather, their music is written at a transposed pitch.
Where chords are indicated for improvisation they are also written in the appropriate transposed form.

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