HOW GUITAR PLAYERS CHANGE KEYS


So, you want to change keys, huh? Maybe you’ve heard people throw around phrases like, “Let’s change the key of this song,” and you nod along, pretending you totally understand, while inside you’re thinking, “I didn’t know songs had keys?” Don’t worry—you’re about to learn how to sound like a musical wizard without needing to speak fluent Mozart.

Changing keys isn’t as scary as it sounds. In fact, it’s all about numbers. Yep, numbers. If you can count to 7, you can change keys. So, let’s get started before you change your mind!


STEP 1: TURNING CHORDS INTO NUMBERS (NO, NOT ALGEBRA)

Every key has seven main notes, and each of those notes gets a number. Why? Because music is cool like that. Let’s take the key of C major. The chords in this key are:

  • C (the 1 chord)
  • D minor (the 2 chord)
  • E minor (the 3 chord)
  • F (the 4 chord)
  • G (the 5 chord)
  • A minor (the 6 chord)
  • B diminished (the awkward 7 chord)

Look at these as steps on a ladder (a musical ladder that hopefully doesn’t lead to falling off stage). Each chord has a number based on its position in the key. C is 1, Dm is 2, Em is 3… you get the point.


STEP 2: PICK A NEW KEY (TIME TO MIX THINGS UP)

Now that you have your trusty number system, it’s time to pick a new key. Let’s say we want to jump from C major to G major (because why not?).

Here are the chords in G major:

  • G (1)
  • A minor (2)
  • B minor (3)
  • C (4)
  • D (5)
  • E minor (6)
  • F# diminished (7)

You’ll notice that these chords are the same types as in C major, just in different spots. This is where the magic happens.


STEP 3: MOVE THE NUMBERS TO THE NEW KEY (A.K.A. MUSICAL TETRIS)

Remember those numbers we gave the chords in C major? Now we’re just going to match them up in G major. Here’s how it looks:

  • C (1) becomes G (1).
  • D minor (2) becomes A minor (2).
  • E minor (3) becomes B minor (3).
  • F (4) becomes C (4).
  • G (5) becomes D (5).
  • A minor (6) becomes E minor (6).
  • B diminished (7) becomes F# diminished (7).

Congratulations! You’ve just changed keys from C to G. Your song now sounds like it’s taken a road trip to somewhere slightly different, but still familiar. It’s like going from a vanilla latte to a vanilla latte with caramel drizzle—similar, but a little more exciting.


EXAMPLE 1: C MAJOR TO G MAJOR (A CLASSIC MOVE)

Let’s say your original chord progression in C major is:

  • C - F - G - Am

Using our numbering system, that’s:

  • 1 - 4 - 5 - 6m

Now, we move that to G major:

  • G - C - D - Em

Boom! You’ve changed keys, and your song now has a fresh new sound. Easy, right?


EXAMPLE 2: C MAJOR TO A MAJOR (SPICING THINGS UP)

Let’s get a little wild and switch from C major to A major. Here’s what we’ve got in A major:

  • A (1)
  • B minor (2)
  • C# minor (3)
  • D (4)
  • E (5)
  • F# minor (6)
  • G# diminished (7)

Now, if we take the same C major progression (C - F - G - Am), we convert it to numbers (1 - 4 - 5 - 6m) and plug it into A major:

  • A - D - E - F# minor

Ta-da! You’re now in A major, and your song sounds like it’s just leveled up. The crowd goes wild.

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