TRANSPOSERS

[monique201284]

I really have no idea why companies inlude transpose buttons on their keyboards but when transposer buttons are used a lot, they prevent the musician from becoming comfortable with all of the keys. Every musician should work hard in order to become familiar with all of the major and minor keys including the ones that are difficult for them.

[ddw4e]

I been playing for 6 years and only transposed maybe about 20 times...and that was on the first year..To me E is one of my favorite keys...I can play A very well but not my fav but I an very fluent in all my keys...I do practice 2 hours a day constantly...

[jomo7]

MAN I feel you that is one of the thing i got on most of my friends. just about all my friends got this sick changes and stuff like that and all this butch woodie runs. but they can only play them in certain keys so i figure that if i just learn how to play song and preaching in all the keys before i try to go to the butch woodie stage than i will be better that alot of my friends. Beside in playing in a church service you will come to found out that all that running and off chording the people wont really like(unless its a concert or you have a gain of young people) so I just really stay real smooth and here and there i throw a butch run or chord in. Thats you a alot of older people call me to do there services because i have learned to play the crowd. But man catron  keep it up you sounding great.

[Spiritfingaz]

I've never been a victim of the transposing addiction because I was originally trained classically and then moved to gospel about 6 years ago…but anyone who has trouble playing in various keys practicing the major and minor scales of the keys that you have trouble with will help your fingers operate in that particular key. After you practice for a while will become easy like anything else in playing keyboard/piano/organ…you just have to reach a level where you are comfortable in that key. Be blessed!

[T-Block]

My question to you guys is what makes certain chords harder for you to play in?

Well, for me, if I am playing in a key that I don't know very well and I am not paying attention to what I am doing, my mind will automatically go to a key that I do know and my fingers will follow.  Then, I get everybody messed up cuz I jumped keys, when it was just a habitual thing to go to my most comfortable keys.  For example, if I am playing in the key of C, if I don't pay close attention, my fingers will automatically just jump to Eb in the middle.  Then, I got refocus and go back to C and play.  This is mostly for the fast songs, not the slow ones.  I know that if I practiced more, that wouldn't happen.

[brrsndr]

Transposers will cause you to lose skills instead of gaining. It's a hindrance to your growth as an individual and as a musician. I say this because if you take the short cut all or most of the time you miss the beauty, experience and wisdom that you would have seen on the main road. Been there and done all of that. Practice!

[melodic]

I confess that I too used to be a transpose addict.  However, I have learned to play fluently in the majority of my keys now. I am still working to be comfortable in a few.  I learned the hard way, the button will eventually fail you because if you play with professional musicans who modulate whole and half steps you are in trouble.  Also, let's say you visit a church and you don't have your board.  Well you are asked to render the music but all they have is a regular piano.  Now what are you gonna do?  If you play then you will make a fool of yourself when they sing in a key you don't know.  If you decline, you will be considered rude.  I used to think it was hard to learn to play in every key.  Thanks to some of the wonderful musicians here on LGM, I learned about music theory and it has made a true musician out of me.  THANKS TO ALL THAT CONTRIBUTED.