Concert-pitch conversion bench
Key transposition dial
Set an original and destination major key. The dial preserves scale degree, spells each result in its new key, and lets you compare both pitches.
and keep its scale degree
This is the Key Transposition Dial. This is used to see at a glance what happens when you transpose music into another key. This is effectiveley a transposition bench from concert pitch to transposing instrument.
You can navigate this using your touch interface or mouse, but there is an option to use your computer keyboard to speed up navigation. It will spell out the notes of new key and calculate interval between them. It even plays the sound of the change.
How to Use the Key Transposition Dial
To begin with choose your starting key (original) and ending key (destination). From here use the dropdown menus to select the major keys you’re operating between. The dial will instanty display the semitone shift and the musical interval name to show if it is up or down and by how much.
This is where we see the color relationship visually represented in the middle of the dial. All twelve keys is depicted as nodes on a ring around which an axis spins to highlight the destination key. Simply click one of the nodes to choose your desired key instantly.
The semitone number of that transposition is shown numerically in the heart of the dial. This provide an exact measure of the transposition. The grid beneath the dial displays the scale degrees. These match your new key, with the cell highlighting what note to play at that particular step of the scale. You can click on any of these degrees to highlight them in both columns. This allows you to see where the accidental change occurs and is helpful if you need to double-check the note name in the new key.
Preset buttons provides common instrument transpositions. For example, one preset converts B-flat parts into concert pitch; a second one does it the other way around: concert pitch to B-flat parts, while the third is concert to E-flat parts. In all cases they follows established conventions in notation.
The direction of the transposition is automatic. Listen to the difference between the two notes (original and transposed). Here’s how: click on the ‘compare’ button to listen to both of them. The first sound you hear is the note as it was written in the music; the second is the same note shifted to a different key. You can adjust the volume slider so that you hear the tones at the desired level. It helps train your ear and gets you used to where the interval shifts.
Navigation is efficient via keyboard shortcuts. To move between destination key, use the arrow key to the left or right. For playing an audio comparison of a scale degree, hit the corresponding number key from 1-7 and then the space bar to hear it played. With these controls, you can test out changes without relying on the mouse.
You can get more help. If you need more help there’s a help button that expands some more helpful text. When clicked, it shows a panel containing tips on how to use it. This includes the keyboard mapping along with the conventions of the tool. Once you’re happy you can close this panel again.
To calculate, it’s assumed the instrument is tuned to A4 = 440 Hz (equal temperament). Below is a widget that you can use to check your transpositions. The tool will help check whether intervals are going up or down and whether notes is spelled correctly.
For example, if you want to see what happens to a melody when it transposes into another key, then this is an ideal tool. It leads to fewer mistakes when writing and sight-reading, and seeing it visually reinforces the theory behind it.
Play around with some of the key combination possibilities. Listen to the note distances change and experience the scale degree changes in a new context. Experiment with the preset and get used to common conversions. Remember that it has been designed for quick reference. As much as it can support performance preparation, it also supports learning.
Enter your key at the start and destination points. Choose a scale degree to highlight and listen to the change using the audio compare. Move around quickly on the keyboard. See where the dial clearly shows what is going on. Transpose easy. Start experimenting with key relationships. Try out this tool as an aid to your music.