#Changing music keys how to#

A lot of people feel confused by this when they first start to learn music theory. You can move through different keys during a song and even borrow notes or chords from other keys. So how can that be if the chords are ‘wrong’? Well you don’t have to stay in the same key all the time. If I play that progression E – D – G – D, it sounds like this: If you want to learn about which chords occur in each key check out this post. This is because there is no Major key which contains all three of these chords. If you’ve started to learn about music theory the following progression might seem ‘wrong’: Analyzing an example like this using the circle of fifths will help you to write your own music and ideas using this concept. Let’s take a simple chord progression and put it under the microscope.

#Changing music keys how to#

I've got 9 days left in this 30-day coaching challenge and I'd love to hear your suggestions on videos you think I should make.In this lesson we’re going continue to build on our knowledge of music theory and learn how to use the Circle of Fifths to change keys. I hope you enjoyed this lesson and apply it to your own playing. It would have saved me a lot of grief! But I guess that's all just part of the journey. I wish I had a chart like this when I first started out. So, give it a shot and never worry about transposing songs again! It will give you the patterns (like I-V-vi-IV) and you can experiment playing them in different keys. The lesson I linked to earlier about Common Chord Patterns is a great way to use this Key Change Chord Chart today. By practicing even just these chords you'll be able to easily tackle most of the songs you'll want to learn regardless of key. The reason the I, IV, V, and vi chords are highlighted is because they're common chords in every key. Most guitar players learn to play in the key of G Major and C Major and spend a lot of time there.īut if you were to play those songs in A Major and D Major (respectively), you'd be adding to your chord repertoire. To build on that, you could play the song in the new key. By writing out the chords in the key of A, you're subconsciously memorizing the common chords in that key. Way better than typing or just relying on your memory.

Writing things with a pen and paper is shown in studies to help you remember those things better. One easy way to practice changing keys is to write down a song you're learning or already know in a different key. Though you could just as fittingly call it a Transposition Chart. Plus, you're opening yourself up to a lot of mistakes.!īut thankfully I found a much easier way to do this, and I'm going to share it with you. Especially when you go more than one step (like E to Bb- good luck!). But counting up on every chord just isn't an efficient way to do it. This seems simple enough, and it is to a certain extent. So, if I was in the key of D and wanted to be in the key of E, I'd count up and re-write the chord on the charts. I simply counted up (or down) for each chord I wanted to change. When I first started to transpose keys, I did it the hard way. It personally has helped me further my skills as a guitarist over the years, by being able to change keys while I'm playing a song with ease. 'Transpose' is another name for changing the key of a song.īeing able to transpose a song from one key to another is a valuable skill that I firmly believe all guitar players should know.