14

Transposing to Other Keys

In This Chapter

◆Understanding transposition

◆Discovering when you need to transpose a song

◆Learning different methods of transposition

◆Using computerized music notation programs to transpose your songs

automatically

You’re sitting at your piano, on stage, ready to play the next tune, when the
female vocalist walks over to you.

“This song’s a little high for me in B
,” she says. “Take it down to A.”

Huh?

Or maybe you’re just starting to play guitar, don’t know all the chords yet, and
just got the sheet music for one of your favorite songs. You blanch when you

discover that the song is in the key of G
. G-flat! Who plays in G-flat? You

don’t know any chords in G-flat—not a one!

But you doknow all your chords in G; maybe there’s a way to change the song

from G
to G.

Perhaps you’re arranging a Christmas carol for your church choir, which will be
accompanied by a solo trumpet. You hand the trumpet player his part and he

plays what you thought was supposed to be a C—but it comes out as a B
in-

stead, according to the notes on your piano.

What gives?

All three of these examples are situations in which you need to know how to
transposea piece of music from one key to another—which is what this chapter
is all about.

Move Your Notes Around

Transpositionis the art of translating a note or chord from one key to another.
It’s really a math exercise—this note in this key equals that note in that key.

Chapter