how to learn to transpose tunes

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:25 am

Ok, what if you wanted to learn to transpose tunes (sheetmusic) if you had to play a different key of flute/ whistle.
I have no idea how to do this, say you have a tune in D and want to transpose it into G....I really want to transpose it on paper and not from memory as I am not that good yet ....
Can anyone please kick me in the right direction

thanks,
berti

picardy third · Post by **picardy third** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:38 am

Transposition is simply changing the notes in the music to sound the same music in a new key. In order to do this, every note needs to be moved the same interval up or down. For instance, from D to G you need to move every thing up a perfect 4th (or everything down a perfect 5th depending on how you look at it). In the case of the perfect fourth interval, there are 4 half steps between the original note and the new note.

In the case of going from D to G, every D becomes G, E becomes A, F# becomes B, G becomes C, A becomes D, B becomes E, C# becomes F# and there you are.

It is ok if you don't know the name of the interval that you are transposing to. You can simple count the number of half steps and make sure you count the same half steps throughout the entire piece. If you want to go from C major to D major, there you count 2 half steps to get to D right? So when you see C, play D. When you see E play F# (two half steps right?)

I hope this makes since and I hope I did the topic justice. Good luck! Transposing an entire piece on paper can be pain!

P3

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 11:46 am

I guess the easiest way to exaplain it is you figure out the musical gap between the tonic notes, and then add (subtract if you're going down) that gap to each note.

So going from D to G is three steps up (D to E, E to F, F to G). So if your tune is DDEFFEDCB, then you go

D-->G (already explained)
E-->A (E to F, F to G, G to A)
F-->B (F to G, G to A, A to B)
C-->F (C to D, D to E, E to F)
B-->E (B to C, C to D, D to E)

so you get GGABBAGFE for the transposed version.

I've left off flats and sharps. As long as your original doesn't have any accidentals, your new one won't either in its new key. So the first passage (in D) would have F and C sharp, the second (in G) just F.

If there are accidentals, you have to figure out what it does to the original note (raises or lowers it a half-step) and do the same thing to the note in the transposed version.

(Or you could count in half-steps instead of steps -- but that requires more thought for me.)

Berti66 · Post by **Berti66** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 12:11 pm

ahaaa ok that helps very much thanks........I am going to give it a go.
makes me wonder however, how many people do actually transpose the music or just take a different key of whistle/ flute and just play the tune as it originally was, and then of course it sounds all different.......

greetings
berti

OBrien · Post by **OBrien** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 12:28 pm

As far as I know, the only reason to transpose a tune would be if it wasn't already playable on a D whistle. Say it was in Bb and you wanted to play it on a Bb whistle. You would transpose it to D and play your Bb whistle as if it was a D whistle.

Is there anyone out there who actually reads a tune in Bb, say, and plays it on a Bb whistle?

colomon · Post by **colomon** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 12:46 pm

O'Brien wrote:Is there anyone out there who actually reads a tune in Bb, say, and plays it on a Bb whistle?

In a pinch I would, but it slows me down a good bit. In practice, though, it's something I usually don't have a reason to do much more than once or twice a year.

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:26 pm

What I usually do to learn a tune written in a non-whistle key (something other than 1 or 2 sharps) in sheet music is to transpose it to either D or G by moving the notes up or down the appropriate number of lines and changing the key signature. Whether I transpose it to D or G depends on what ends up being the highest and lowest notes. This can be done easily in such software as Finale Notepad and Cakewalk Music Creator, or if you are away from your computer, in a manuscript book.

Then, I try it out on the D whistle. When I get the fingering patterns down, I then do it again on a different-keyed whistle so it will match the sheet music if I am accompanying someone who plays from the sheet (usually keyboardists; guitarists and fiddlers rarely complain about playing in D or G).

ten or more · Post by **ten or more** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:52 pm

One way to transpose, if you have the written sheet music, is to enter the music in a music writing program and use the program to transpose. The downside is having to write the music in the computer program, the upside is that it transposes accurately and you could try several different new keys. Plus you have a nice looking piece of sheet music in the new key. One free music writing program that will do this is http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/ . It's not too hard to learn.

picardy third · Post by **picardy third** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 2:59 pm

I play for more than just traditional groups so I often find myself reading in other keys. (Just love it when a chart is put in front of me in Ab). But the ability to play by ear helps much there. That's assuming you know the tune in the first place! Otherwise, you can be condemned to New Age noodling.

Tyghress · Post by **Tyghress** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:30 pm

Another way to go about this is to ignore the 'note' as you read it, and pay attention to the interval. I can transpose slowly as I go, especially if the keys aren't tremendously different E to D, or C to D is a snap, and not any harder is A to G or F to G.

When the notes go out of range though, I have a little mental block about what to play, but its a start.

Jennie · Post by **Jennie** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 3:59 pm

There's one transposition I can do easily, from D to G. And the reason is that I started out way back playing -- you guessed it -- recorders. My fingers know just where to go because when I read music I already know how to switch from soprano to alto on that instrument.

For the other keys, though, I usually have to listen to the tune first or it takes me way too long.

I'm sure it's the kind of mental exercise that keeps us from getting dementia, though!

Jennie

BrassBlower · Post by **BrassBlower** » Tue Jan 25, 2005 4:37 pm

Jennie wrote:There's one transposition I can do easily, from D to G. And the reason is that I started out way back playing -- you guessed it -- recorders. My fingers know just where to go because when I read music I already know how to switch from soprano to alto on that instrument.

Of course, IMO, D and G are the "easy" keys on a soprano recorder, just as they are on a D whistle.

slowair · Post by **slowair** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 7:02 am

Holy crap! That Finale Notepad program is the rat's hat!!!

It's just what I've been looking for. Thank you!

Easy and FREE!!!

amar · Post by **amar** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 10:17 am

slowair wrote:Holy crap! That Finale Notepad program is the rat's hat!!!

up to this point i didn't know if the notepad was a good or a bad thing.

It's just what I've been looking for. Thank you!

Easy and FREE!!!

Ro3b · Post by **Ro3b** » Wed Jan 26, 2005 1:40 pm

Eh. Just do it. Pick a bit of melody and a key and sweat through it. Like everything else, it gets easier the more you practice. You don't have to stick to traditional tunes, either -- it might be easier to start with commercial jingles, TV show themes, etc. Try playing the theme to "The Flintstones" in D, then in G, then in A, then in C. Or the imperial stormtroopers theme from "Star Wars" in Bm, then Am, then Em.
This kind of thing can make you an incredibly strong player.