Changing the key of a whole piece
I seem to be having some difficulty with changing the key on scores that I had originally downloaded from the net as midi files, and now want to re-work to produce my own adapted versions.
The only way I can find to do this seems to be to put everything into concert pitch, and then laboriousy copy and paste each part into a new score, using a non-transposing instrument such as the voice; then change thst whole score to the key I need for our instruments; then create parts for all the (transposing) instruments; and finally, delete all the voice parts.
But is there a simpler way?
Any advice welcome!
(NB: I am producing pieces for a saxophone ensemble, in this case; but it must be an issuesthat others have encountered, with other transposing instruments.)
Comments
I believe that changing the Clef (from the palette) already takes into account the transposing instruments
But a better response will come.
If you want you can attach here the score and someone will take a look.
If (for example) the notes are on the staff correctly for the alto voice, but you want to play it on the Alto Saxophone then right click the staff and choose "Staff properties...". Click the "Change Instruments" button on the left side of the dialog near the middle and choose the appropriate instrument. All of the notes will transpose. You may need to change to the correct clef for the new instrument if you change from say tenor voice using the bass clef to tenor sax which uses the treble clef. You may also need to move some notes that are out of range of the new instrument, otherwise most of the transposition is automatic.
In reply to If (for example) the notes… by mike320
Thanks, Mike320 and Shoichi; but I think perhaps I haven't explained my problem clearly enough.
Lets take a specific example.
I have a score ( 'Love Potion No 9') for which the original was in concert G major. So the Baritone and Alto parts that I had created from it appear - suitable transposed - in E major, and the Tenor and Soprano in A major.
I'd rather move the whole thing up a semitone to play in Concert G sharp, as that will put the Tenor and Sop in B flat, and the Bari and Alto into F major - much easier keys for us poor amateurs.
So I'd like to find, if possible, a simple way to do this for the whole score. If there's no easy way, I will have to continue with my current approach, described in my first post - which is not only laborious but also accident prone.
If I'd seen this coming, I'd probably have though to convert the midid file from G to G sharp before I started creating the sax version; so maybe I just have to learn my lesson.
Still, if there's an easier way to work with what I have - its always good to be able to shift whole scores around......
In reply to Thanks, Mike320 and Shoichi;… by Robbie Johnson
Just drag the suitable G sharp key sig onto one of the staves, it really is as easy as that. That'd keep all pitches though.
Or use the transpose dialog. That changes pitches and key sigs
In reply to Just drag the suitable G… by Jojo-Schmitz
So it is!!!
SO simple!
(I just KNEW there had to be a way........)
Thanks a bunch, Jojo.
In reply to So it is!!!… by Robbie Johnson
Sorry, I didn't realize you were talking about transposing Saxophones to a new key. You probably noticed that dragging the key signature results in a bunch of accidentals. What you want to do is use notes->transpose and use the by interval and transpose it up a minor second. This will change all of the notes as well as the key signature. And yes it is simple.