Music Transposition Calculator
Table of contents
What does "transpose" mean in music?How to use the music transposition calculatorFAQsWhen you find yourself in a situation where the singer in your band can't hit that high note or your pianist refuses to play in C♯ major, the music transposition calculator may come in handy. This app is meant to make transposing music simpler. You can use it for transposing notes and chords.
Keep reading the text below if you want to learn how to transpose music or need a guide for using this key transposer. You can also jump to our chord calculator if you vibe that topic. 🙂
What does "transpose" mean in music?
To transpose a note, chord, or whole piece of music means to change its key, i.e., move it by a specific interval up or down while maintaining its structure (rhythm, intervals between the notes, etc.).
In simple terms, transposition music definition is the lowering or raising of all sounds in a song.
How to use the music transposition calculator
If the transposition music definition sounds too difficult to understand, use our tool, which functions, e.g., as a musical instrument transposition chart.
Choose if you want to transpose by semitones or by interval (a major second down, 7 semitones up, etc.) or from one key to another (e.g., from F to G).
If you chose by interval (semitones):
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Select an interval from the list. The number of semitones is given in parentheses. Check out our music interval calculator to learn more about music intervals.
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Choose whether you want to transpose up or down (raise or lower the notes).
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Select how many notes you want to transpose.
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Select the names of all notes.
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Once you choose all notes, you'll see the transposed notes at the bottom of the music transposition calculator. Some of them will have two notation options. These are enharmonic equivalents — they relate to the same pitch but may be used in different musical contexts. For example, in the D major scale, you would use C♯, whereas, in A♭ major, you'd go for D♭. Expand your knowledge about music scales and learn about the different scale types by visiting our music scale calculator.
If you transpose to key:
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Choose the key of your piece.
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Choose the key to which you want to transpose music.
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Select if the keys are major or minor (this music transposition calculator doesn't transpose between major and minor keys).
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Specify the number of notes.
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Select the names of the notes.
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The results will appear at the bottom.
If you ever need a musical instrument transposition chart, be sure to visit our calculator again!
🙋 On the other hand, if you're new to music and have trouble singing a particular song, perhaps you first want to know your vocal range before transposing the notes in that song. Find your vocal range very quickly using our vocal range calculator.
How to transpose music?
To transpose music:
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Choose an interval - decide how much lower or higher you need the music to be.
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If you're transposing on staff, write down target key signature.
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Raise or lower each note and chord by the same interval.
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Make sure you apply all the sharps and flats needed.
How to transpose music for instruments?
To transpose music for instruments:
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Find out the key of an instrument, e.g., B♭ for trumpet.
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Find out the key of your score, e.g., concert pitch C.
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Determine an interval between those. Here it'd be a major second.
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Write down the target key signature, move all the notes up or down the interval (here a major second up) and remember the accidentals.
How to transpose music for clarinet?
To transpose music for clarinet:
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Find out what the pitch of your clarinet is. The most popular pitch is B♭.
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Determine an interval between the clarinet's pitch and concert pitch (C). For B♭ it's a major second.
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Move all the notes by the determined interval (here, a whole step up).
How to transpose music from E flat to B flat?
To transpose music from E flat to B flat:
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Calculate the interval between E♭ and B♭. Spoiler: it's a perfect fifth.
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Write down the key signature. For B♭ major you'd have 2 flats and for B♭ minor - 5 flats.
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Move all the notes and chord a perfect fifth up (or perfect fourth down, whichever is more convenient).
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Adjust the flats and sharps if needed.