Summer is just around the corner and a lot of musicians as well as aspiring musicians send emails asking how to I continually master all 12 keys. Here is just a few tips to master all 12 keys during your free time in the summer.
In Short: Take a few songs you know and learn them in all 12 keys.
The songs that you are mostly common with the sames chords will usually apply. The only difference is that you will be taking the song up a key.
One thing that I like to do is choose songs that have a different feel whether it is R&B, Gospel, Contemporary. The better the mix the more diverse chords you will have.
The simplest way is to simply start at the original key of the song and move every note up a half step.
So if a song is in Ab major, you’ll attack A major next by literally taking every note in every chord and moving it up a half step.
Note: Remember to take your time with it. Pacing yourself and taking is slow will definitely help you. It is say that it takes the average human brain 7 times to remember something so take each piece of the song in sections.
Transposing a song to a new key is no more than moving every note up the appropriate amount of notes.
If you are having difficulties the transpose key is a good practice tool but remember not to abuse this if you are playing live. Having confidence in yourself and your playing will definitely help you to improve your practicing efforts. My best recommendation is to not use the transpose key but to do your best in mastering all 12 keys.
Here is an example of a C 7 chord:
C 7: C + E + G + Bb
To move to a Db 7 chord just raise all the notes up a half step
Db 7: Db + F + Ab + Cb
Once you master this you will be up to big leagues soon enough.
Take care,
