../LESSONS

How many times have we doubted our abilities as guitarists and never tried a piece of music because we thought we couldn't play it? Then, one day you get that urge to see just how hard it really is only to find that that particular piece of music wasn't as challenging as we once thought.

The same concept applies to transposition. Sure, there's a lot to it and I'm not going to say that there isn't; however, every guitarist needs to know that transposition doesn't have to seem like an impossible feat to master.

If you want to transpose real music notes, and you read music for guitar, we'll guide you through some steps to get you on the right track. For the majority of guitarists who don't have a background in music theory, we're going to show you some alternatives that you probably never would have thought of.

It's one of those tools that's nice to have in your tool box when you are playing with a band or are looking to get a professional edge.

The computer is a guitarist's best friend.

Lets face it, we're surrounded by technology in an ever growing economy that seems to make our world smaller and smaller. That equates to an awesome learning experience for guitarists who prefer not to learn music theory.

There are plenty of websites available that do the hard work for you. This is great for preparing for a band practice or a jam session with friends but remember that unless you have wireless internet in your venue or practice area, the transposition websites that do all of this work won't be available to you.

If you have a laptop and like to do things on the run without the use of internet, there's plenty of software designed for that purpose as well. Let's start off with the websites that are quick and easy for basic key changes.

If you read our newsletter on composition and have just started writing your own material, or perhaps you have been writing music for a while, I have the one and only piece of software that you will need for your musical needs.

Before I even decided to write this article, I was continually on the search for a piece of software that would allow me to insert my music, whether it be tab or traditional notation, onto my staff and simply press a button and let it do the work for me (yes, even I get tired of music theory.) The problem was, I found plenty of programs that would allow me to transpose traditional notation but never tab... That is until I discovered Final Notepad 2005.

It's the little brother to the famous Final Print Music series that has become one of the most used pieces of musical notation software in the industry. However, here's the most killer part of the deal: It's 100% free!

What attracted me to this software initially was the ability to transpose long saxophone compositions into different keys with the click of a button. If you're a sax player, you know how frustrating and time consuming that is. Then when I discovered that this program was made with the guitarist in mind, I nearly flipped out with excitement.

You can input any piece of tablature you want using the numbers on your keyboard and get professional quality tabs. Then, with a click of a button you can transpose it to a different key and it will place your notation to where it needs to go! For example, it will take this example in C below:

...And transpose it to this composition in D!

No longer do you have to sweat it out by trial and error. Sure, the above example was a giveaway considering I was just playing with the end of a scale, but when using tab, transposing solos just became a lot more complicated.

Come to your practices prepared and ready to go. If your band wants you to do your best solo in another key, just put it through this baby and you're all set. Click here to download it and get more information.

The second site I recommend is called www.transposer.com. They charge a small fee for access to software that helps you to transpose and learn how to transpose. Quite simply put, follow the first few basic instructions and whalah, you have yourself a two second transposition chart. I think it's an amazing tool for anyone who plays with non c-based instruments such as a trumpet or sax.

You can even make one yourself. This is not a new concept. Some of my instructors used to do that all the time to teach us how to transpose. Cut out a few wheels and insert the various information that can be found throughout the net. It's worth the research!

So you're a theory nut eh?

Ok, hold on to your seatbelts... We're going all the way on the accelerator here! Yes, I know that was a lame excuse to try and get you all pumped up for transposition the traditional way but it's really not that hard, it's so easy in fact, that I actually get excited about teaching it.

There's some things you must already know but I'm not going to go through them all in this lesson. You should know your key signatures (circle of fifths), your basics notes and what accidentals are all about. This all leads up to knowing how to decide what key any song is in. This is essential to knowing how to transpose(more on this in a moment). This is just the background to help you out and only takes an hour or so to learn about and weeks of practice to know.

Transposing from a minor to a minor key should create no new problems, just ensure that both keys are indeed minor.

Practice does make perfect, as corny as that is to hear. It takes time and patience. Don't beat yourself up over it, just enjoy it and you'll see new changes everyday you try it out. Practicing your alphabet from A to G and going back and forth in your head also is a great thing to know and is what always helped me out.

There are many other forms of transposition that we'll save for another day... Or perhaps another site. For instance, there become new rules when dealing with an orchestral score, although it's along the same lines as what's shown above. The same can be said for switching from a major key to a minor, although it's not technically a transposition because it's a mode change. Anyhow, a lot left to learn but these tools should get you off the ground and on your way.

It's all you need right now for parts involving c-based instruments (like your guitar, the piano, the flute or other various instruments.)

Putting It All Together

So now that you have the tools, how about you see what they look like in action? Here is a before and after shot of a riff I've made especially for you. Notice what happens with accidentals. If you follow the steps listed above, you should get something looking like this:

Riff in the key of A:

Transpose UP to the key of G.

Riff in the key of G: