# Does Anyone play classical piano in Every Key??



## Tieb (Apr 30, 2014)

Hey, I Was wondering does anyone transpose Classical piano songs, grade 6-8 in all major keys?? I've been searching on line for articles or videos on the subject, I mean I know how to transpose songs, But with the level of technique and discipline required, I was just wondering does any in this forum do it?


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## Tieb (Apr 30, 2014)

What i mean is, playing one piece in every major key..


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## Jonathan Wrachford (Feb 8, 2014)

Tieb said:


> Hey, I Was wondering does anyone transpose Classical piano songs, grade 6-8 in all major keys?? I've been searching on line for articles or videos on the subject, I mean I know how to transpose songs, But with the level of technique and discipline required, I was just wondering does any in this forum do it?


well, I play music (not all the time classical) in every key except F# and B natural, although I occasionally venture to experiment with B natural


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Tieb said:


> What i mean is, playing one piece in every major key..


If you have a MIDI-capable keyboard and sequencing software, you can play the piece in any key and have the software record it and immediately transpose it to any key, or all keys for that matter. You can even print out the transposed scores.


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

I don't transpose pieces. I play them in the key they are in.

I did hear of one professional pianist who played the four Chopin Ballades in every key as a regular exercise; after years of this, she then had a real problem to recall which was the original key when she performed them in recitals <g>

If you want enough of a technical workout, play all the scales -- standard routine of three octaves, parallel and contrary motion -- while using only the C major fingering for all of them.

P.s. It is a standard expectation of any advanced musician that they can equally well sight read and play in any key -- it is a basic requirement.


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

*Bassoon Warm Up*

I warm up on my bassoon playing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in every key.

Once I master that I might change to "London Bridge".


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

arpeggio said:


> I warm up on my bassoon playing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" in every key.
> 
> Once I master that I might change to "London Bridge".


And after that, Weber's Hungarian Rondo!


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## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

hpowders said:


> And after that, Weber's Hungarian Rondo!


If I could do that I would not be playing with the Frostbite Falls Community Orchestra.


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## hreichgott (Dec 31, 2012)

Solo piano pieces, you mean? I can't think why anyone would want to. There are better uses for discipline and time.
Vocal accompaniments, that does happen, not playing them in every single key but being prepared for any key. So as to fit the range of the singer. Beyond a certain level of complexity I do have to write things down.


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

I play in all keys, including ones not even highly trained musicians have heard of. The problem is, I do so unintentionally. 

I'm currently trying to learn a piece that makes a sudden shift from C to D flat. Horrendously difficult to read, seeing as my knowledge of music theory is pretty much non-existent and I play piano pretty much as if it is a typewriter.


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## mikey (Nov 26, 2013)

There's the famous (possibly made up) story of Beethoven asking the child Liszt to play a bach p&f in a different key after his play through which he of course had no problems.
The only value I see in it is for accompanying singers when their voice suddenly drops or certain technical passages which become even more uncomfortable in a different key so as to make the actual one easier. (or impressing Beethoven)


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## Matsps (Jan 13, 2014)

> There's the famous (possibly made up) story of Beethoven asking the child Liszt to play a bach p&f in a different key after his play through which he of course had no problems.


I did once get asked when I was doing some accompanying work if I could transpose the piece (that I was already being required to sight read on the spot) into a different key while I was playing... It turns out I would not have impressed Beethoven. =/


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

I've seen this recommended for "difficult" passages where you play it in an "awkward" key to make it even more difficult then when you switch back to the standard version it doesn't seem that hard. 

What can help is to see the chordal structure \ harmony in roman numeral form so that you aren't tied to a key but also so you can analyse more easily and follow it more quickly.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I think I may (hah) know the answer to this... when a piano piece on a 33.33 rpm record is played at 45 rpm, is the key changed?


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Taggart said:


> What can help is to see the chordal structure \ harmony in roman numeral form so that you aren't tied to a key but also so you can analyse more easily and follow it more quickly.


I would guess that is how professionals go about it, but there is a mountainous learning curve involved in learning to recognize chords at sight, probably far more so than just learning to read individual notes. Most of us just don't have the time to do it.


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## Tieb (Apr 30, 2014)

Thanks for the reply guys..


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## norman bates (Aug 18, 2010)

mikey said:


> The only value I see in it is for accompanying singers when their voice suddenly drops or certain technical passages which become even more uncomfortable in a different key so as to make the actual one easier. (or impressing Beethoven)


if you play jazz and you have to improvise it's very useful and many of the most important jazz teacher request to their pupils to learn everything in every key. But I guess that for a classical player is a lot less important.


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## Varick (Apr 30, 2014)

norman bates said:


> if you play jazz and you have to improvise it's very useful and many of the most important jazz teacher request to their pupils to learn everything in every key. But I guess that for a classical player is a lot less important.


You are correct. It is much less important for a classical player. All my training in piano is classical. About the time I stopped taking lessons with my teacher (when I started college) was just before my teacher was going to start teaching about jazz improvisation. Something of which to this day I regret not continuing.

V


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