Because of the tuning and design of the guitar,
some keys are easier to get around than others. Use
the chart above and a capo to 'transpose' your tune
from an unfriendly key to a friendly one.
The blue row at the top shows the 12 keys of music,
the blue column to the left shows the 7 notes of
the scale and the chords that comprise the key. Capital
Roman numeral means Major, lowercase Roman numeral
means minor. The italic indicates the half/diminished
in each key. (Note that these chord flavors are not
necessarily the ones required as deviations from
the key are often used by the composer of the piece
of music.)
To use the chart, find out first what key the original
tune is in. As an example, let's say it's F#, an
awful key for guitar, as it throws up so many barre
chords. Look to the
left of
the difficult key until you find the key you want
to play in, let's say C. Looking to the right won't
work, because the new key HAS to be lower in pitch
than the original, since the capo will be higher
up the fretboard.
Count the number of columns away it is from the
original and put your capo on that fret. So in this
example, C is 6 columns away from F#, put your capo
on the 6th fret and play as if in C. Keep referring
back to the original key to see which chords are
in the tune, and move along the row until you get
to the C column. You'll then see which chord is required.
Retain the original quality of the chord, so if it
was major, make it major; if it was minor7th, keep
it as minor7th. Click
here for an example.
Transposing eventually becomes second nature, as
you will begin to see tunes as a series of roman
numeral chords. What's more, you'll be able to hear
them as roman numerals. The most important thing
to remember is that there are only 8 chord letters
and they are in alphabetical order: A B C D E F G.
Think of them in a repeating circle so that A follows
G.
Notice how the key of C is made up of all the natural
notes - no sharps or flats.
If you are playing with another guitarist, it's
often a good idea for one of you to play with a capo
on, as if in another key. For example, one of you
in C -- the other with a capo on the 5th fret playing
as if in G. The effect is a more interesting interplay
of notes and a janglier sound, as each player is
playing the same chords in different positions, giving
the overall sound a much wider range.
