Transposing sheet music and audio

Whether you’re learning music that was written for a different instrument, or you’re challenging your knowledge of a piece with a new key signature, you can easily transpose music in Soundslice.

Just open the settings panel via the button at lower right of the player, then drag the “Transposition” slider:

Transposing audio

This feature can also pitch-shift the audio to reflect the new transposition, but it depends on the type of recording you’ve currently selected. See here:

If audio transposition is indeed available for your current recording, you’ll see a “Transpose audio playback” checkbox appear. You can uncheck this to disable the audio transposition — hence playing the audio in its original key while the notation remains transposed:

Forcing concert pitch

If the music you’re viewing has at least one instrument that’s a non-C transposing instrument — for example, a clarinet in B flat — then the settings Transposition section will also include a “Concert pitch” checkbox:

If you check this box, the music will automatically be rewritten in concert pitch. Note that this doesn’t affect the sound, only the notation.

For more on transposing instruments, see Working with transposing instruments.

Will chord diagrams change to reflect the new transposition?

You bet!

Will tablature change to reflect the new transposition?

Yes! Caveats apply, though. We try to keep things relatively playable, but it might result in difficult (or unplayable) fingering.

A note regarding downward transposition: it’s possible to transpose downward such that some notes are impossible to play (i.e., they’re lower than the lowest-pitched string). In this case, we’ll hide those notes’ tablature but continue to display the notes in the staff. We’ll also give you a heads up message, “Some music might be unplayable”:

If I change the transposition of a slice, will it remember my setting the next time I load it?

No. A slice will always start in its original key signature.

But if you’re editing a slice you’ve created yourself, you can indeed transpose permanently. See our separate help page on this.

How far can I transpose?

You can transpose one octave in either direction (up or down).

I’m creating music in Soundslice. How can I set instrument transposition for non-C instruments, such as clarinet?

See our separate page here for information on working with transposing instruments.

How can I restore the music to its default transposition?

Move the transposition slider back to the center. You’ll see the text “Original key” when you’ve done this.

As a slice creator, can I set the default transposition for audio?

Yes, see pitch correction for audio.

I’m editing some music in Soundslice. How can I transpose a selection of it?

See our separate help page about permanent transposition, which is an editor function.