[ColdBuffet]

Hi,

As I am in the process of learning some standards, I would like to learn the songs in all 12 keys however I don't exactly know how to go about doing this. It seems all so daunting. I know how to transpose, but the problem is trying to memorise the songs in the various keys. How do you guys go about transposing songs? Do you just use your ear (trial and error) and repeat it until it gets embedded into your head then move onto the next key? Or do you guys write down the songs in the different keys and learn it from the sheets?

Thank you.

 

[parxang]

If you want to play a song in all 12 keys, I recommend you to memorize the intervals instead of notes. If you go to http://www.realbook.us/ you can browse famous songs in "intervals" and notes. But then again, it will be playing by ears if you have to play with intervals.

 

[DukeCity]

Don't write them out! The whole purpose of learning stuff in different keys is to connect your ears to your hands/horn. Looking at sheets will just get in the way.

When I'm trying to learn something in a different key, I figure out how the first few notes relate to the key, often using numbers (some folks use solfege syllables: do, re, me). So the first few notes of, say, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" would be 1-1-7-5-6-7-1. Then I try to just finish out the melody by ear.

Keep at it. It will get easier!

 

[Dave Dolson]

I agree with both responses (so far). Being an ear-player, I've taught myself to hear the intervals.

So when someone calls a tune in a key not normally used (or published on the sheet music, probably to accomodate a vocalist or because he/she never bothered to learn it in the published key), I can go with that and no one knows but me. Even for songs I've never heard, I can get most of it right away - mainly because many songs have a logical sequence to them. DAVE

 

[harmonizerNJ]

I agree with DukeCity that you want to connect your ears to the horn.

I still think that writing out the transposition can help. Similar to how writing down the lyrics to a song can help you memorize the words, writing down a transposed melody can help you memorize that melody. But once you have done this, just don't get yourself caught up in only playing the transposed melodies from the sheet - the goal should be to be able to play these without having the sheet in front of you.

This can also help you with your bag of tricks for improvising, since a couple of measures of the head for song "A" might sound cool as part of an improvised solo in song "B", and the chances are slim that songs "A" and "B" will be in the same key.