Music Notes

Music Summaries

Transpose musical notes from one key to another.
How to change a song from any musical key, to any other key.


Pick the key you are changing from in the leftmost column. Then, read across to the column that represents the key you want to change to, where the corresponding notes are listed.

The chart below can be used to make all 132 possible musical transpositions (11 x 12). Two octaves are shown for inter-octave clarity.

bbbbb 

 ##

bbb 

 ####

b 

 #

bbbb 

 ###

bb 

 #####

Simplified Diagram: Transpose Music from Key to Key - 1 octave shown

Musical Note

C

Db

D

Eb

E

F

Gb

G

Ab

A

Bb

B

C

Half Steps

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Full Notes

DO

-

RE

-

MI

FA

-

SO

-

LA

-

TI

DO

nth Note

first

-

second

-

third

fourth

-

fifth

-

sixth

-

seventh

eighth

Key of C

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

C#/Db

c

Key of D

D

E

F#

G

A

B

c

C#

D

D#/Eb

c

Key of E

E

F#

G#

A

B

c

C#

D#

E

Key of F

F

G

A

Bb

C

D

E

F

F#/Gb

c

Key of G

G

A

B

C

D

E

F#

G

G#/Fb

c

Key of A

A

B

c

C#

D

E

F#

G#

A

A#/Bb

c

Key of B

B

c

C#

D#

E

F#

G#

C#

B

Key of C

C

D

E

F

G

A

B

C

Example: If music in the Key of C indicates playing an E note, that note would be a B note in the key of G. The blanks are left for the student to fill in - and to reduce clutter - and to show the pattern. Keyboard instruments are based on the key of C, the guitar on the key of E (or F), and brass instruments on the key of B flat. Piano transposition summary table Many thanks to Ron Cox for finding 2 errors in the above tables, replicated 3 times. Fixed.

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