Did You Know?
Did you know that the guitar is a transposing instrument? It is. What’s a transposing instrument? A transposing instrument is an instrument whose written notes are read at a pitch different than concert pitch. What is concert pitch? Concert pitch is a standard set for use in orchestras. In concert pitch the A note above middle C on the piano is 440 Hz.
The same notes (pitches) written in guitar notation and piano notation.
Guitar is written one octave (the equivalent of 12 frets on the guitar) higher than it sounds in concert pitch. Why? Because the guitar is a midrange instrument. If written in concert pitch (like a piano) guitar notation would fall across both the treble and bass clefs, making it harder to notate and read.
Now you know.
