How do I transpose a key for guitar?

Download the pdf: transpose-guitar

A bass player I worked with for a while showed me this neat trick. Thanks Lenny!

First write down the notes in a row like this. I’m starting with C because that’s the key I want to transpose from.

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

Those half-steps also contain all the notes of the C major scale.

C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B

Now what key do you want to transpose to? How about E? If that’s the case, just grab that line of notes and rewrite them under the first line- with the E directly under the C. We’ll have to continue the half-step sequence to fill in the rest of the line.

So let’s say you want to transpose C, F and  G (the 1, 3 and 5 notes which make a CM triad) to the key of E. What you’re saying is “if C is now E, then F=A and G=B. All you’re looking for when you transpose is the same relationships in a scale with a different root so 1/4/5 in C is C/F/G which relate to E/A/B in the target key.

I hope this is helpful!

Don’t practice until you can play it right, practice it until you can’t play it wrong.