Online tárogató tuner (B♭)
The modern tárogató (Romanian taragot) is a single-reed woodwind with a conical wooden body, close to a soprano saxophone but darker in sound. It was developed in Budapest by V. J. Schunda and János Stowasser, who filed patents in 1897. By far the most common size is the soprano in B♭, about 74 cm long: it sounds a major second below the written note, so a plain chromatic tuner shows your written C as B♭.
Written notes and concert pitch
The B♭ soprano tárogató sounds a major second below written: written C5 sounds B♭4, 466.16 Hz at A4 = 440 Hz. The display shows written notes; Hz describe the sounding pitch. Scientific octave numbers: C4 is middle C.
| Written note | Sounding note | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|
| B♭3 (models with a low B♭ key) | A♭3 | 207.65 |
| B3 | A3 | 220.00 |
| B4 | A4 | 440.00 |
| C5 | B♭4 | 466.16 |
| C6 | B♭5 | 932.33 |
How to use it
- Warm up with a few long notes, then tap Turn on microphone. Leave the Transposition menu on B♭.
- Set Reference A to your group: 440 Hz with organ and in most international settings, 442 Hz with piano and 442–443 Hz with cimbalom in Hungarian practice.
- Play written B4 (concert A4) or written C5 (concert B♭4) with a steady tone at medium volume.
- Needle left (flat): push the mouthpiece further onto the cork. Needle right (sharp): pull it out a little. Then check several notes in both registers.
Help and explanations
This tuner opens with the B♭ transposition on: it adds the whole step back and shows the note as written in your music. The usual written range is B3 to C6 (sounding A3 to B♭5); models with a low B♭ key reach written B♭3. The taragot came to Romania in the 1920s through the Banat and became a folk instrument there and in Transylvania. Nothing is recorded or uploaded.
Mouthpiece, reed and old high-pitch instruments
Overall tuning is set by moving the mouthpiece on the cork: pushing it in raises the pitch, pulling it out lowers it. As on the saxophone, the tárogató responds more to the internal volume of the mouthpiece than to length, so if you have to pull the mouthpiece almost off, suspect the mouthpiece or the instrument. Tárogató mouthpieces take a clarinet reed but have their own geometry, and the right mouthpiece and reed change both pitch and response.
Older instruments may be built to a high pitch: earlier Eastern European tuning sat at 442–444 Hz. A quick test with the mouthpiece pulled well out: compare written B and C in the second octave with D, E♭ and E. If B and C are clearly flat against the others, the instrument probably will not play well at 440 Hz. Do not judge by second-octave D alone: it is traditionally an unstable note on the tárogató.
Other keys and sizes
Schunda also built tárogatós in C and A, and Stowasser advertised seven sizes down to a contrabass in E♭; these are rare today. For a C instrument choose C (concert pitch), and for an A instrument choose A in the Transposition menu. Parts for B♭ clarinet and B♭ soprano saxophone use the same transposition as the B♭ tárogató, so the clarinet tuner reads the same way, although fingerings and unstable notes differ. Fingering systems vary too: the classic German (Albert) system, Böhm and saxophone systems are all made today. Do not confuse the modern instrument with the historical double-reed tárogató.
Tips
- Tune on sustained notes at medium volume after warming up, never on the first cold note.
- Once you find the right mouthpiece position, mark it on the cork with a pencil.
- Do not transpose twice: with the B♭ setting on, the tuner already shows the written note, so read it as it is.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the tuner say B♭ when I play C on my tárogató?
A normal tuner shows concert pitch, and the B♭ tárogató sounds a whole step below written. This page adds the step back, so written C shows as C. Choose C (concert pitch) to see the sounding note.
Which note should I tune my tárogató on?
There is no official tuning note. Written B4 (concert A4) is handy for tuning with a band, and written C5 (concert B♭4) works too. Then check a low and a high note.
Should I tune to 440 or 442 Hz?
Follow your group. A Budapest workshop supplies its B♭ sopranos at 440 or 442 Hz, and the 2026 Carpathian Basin tárogató competition sets 442–443 Hz with cimbalom, 442 Hz with piano and 440 Hz with organ.
What is the range of the tárogató?
Usually written B3 to C6, sounding A3 to B♭5. Models with a low B♭ key go down to written B♭3 (sounding A♭3), and advanced players can go above written C6.