Transposing Music with the Transposition Software FORTE [Updated for 2021]
By Charlotte A. F. Farley
My dad, a former musical director and guitarist for acts like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and The Shirelles, always told me this…
If you’re going to make it in music, you should learn as many songs in as many keys as possible.
He has a valid point. But not everybody can instantly transpose music. Then again, not everybody needs to, especially if you have a transposition software that essentially does the hard work for you.
FORTE’s software offers you three super-simple ways to transpose:
- Key transposition allows you to easily change the key and range of an entire piece. This is great for composers composing for a specific voice. Now they can quickly and easily customize a song and change the key to suit the performer.
- Interval transposition will take a passage and move it up or down with all of the correct key signature/accidental markings. This drastically cuts down input time for passages that are the same but in a different key area, and is ideal for someone writing sequences.
- Instrument transposition is laid out to transpose any given line of the music for a particular instrument. So, for a solo composer, they can write a melody, and then easily transpose it for whoever is available with the click of a button!
Just like the rest of the FORTE notation software, the transposition function is easy to experiment with and intuitive to use. You can read up on transposing with these tutorials here.
Want to check it out for yourself? Download your free 14-day trial of FORTE today!
I would like to invest in software that will transpose existing songs into a key that suits my view. Piano and guitar are the usual instruments.
Thanks
Hi Pam,
thank you for your question.
I suggest you start with a trial version of FORTE Home and see and try for yourself how you like it.
FORTE Home allows you transposing by key and by interval.
And you have the comfort to adjust the score layout.
Here’s your link:
https://www.fortenotation.com/en/products/writing-scores/forte-home/
Kind regards,
Your FORTE-Team
Can you scan the music into the program and it will transpose?
Dear Jayne,
thank you for your question.
You can scan with FORTE 9 Premium:
https://fortenotation.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/214311145-Scan-your-scores-using-FORTE-s-Scan-App
and then transpose the score in the notation program:
https://fortenotation.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202764081-How-do-I-transpose-my-score-
Kind regards,
Your FORTE team
Do you have software that transposes recorded music for another instrument? An example for me is playing my recording of Raunchy and getting the harmonica tabs. Do you have a program for transposing to several different instruments? Thanks!!
Dear Jay,
thank you for your question.
Unfortunately, we don’t offer such a program.
Kind regards,
Your FORTE Team
I have a lot of flute music that I would like to transpose for my euphonium. This means that it not only has to change from treble clef to base clef, but it also has to allow me to bring it down an octave or maybe half an octave for my limited range (so far) on the euphonium. Would this program be able to do this?
Dear Leslie,
thank you for your comment.
You can transpose by instrument using FORTE Premium.
You can change the clef and adjust the octaves as well.
Kind regards,
Your FORTE Team
Just started the trial period.
How do I scan existing sheet music and then transpose it? Do you have a YouTube tutorial that explains this?
Dear Larry,
thank you for your question.
(1) https://youtu.be/gbkpO6Xfyik
(2) https://fortenotation.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202764081-How-do-I-transpose-my-score-
Kind regards,
Your FORTE team
I was dismayed that the download links do not take you to a place to download a trail version. I use Chrome and the link just takes me to what looks like an empty page with a list of articles at the bottom.
Dear Luba,
thank you for your comment.
Get your trial-version here:
https://www.fortenotation.com/en/transaction/downloads/
Go to “Try Now” below the boxes.
Kind regards,
Your FORTE team
I need to transpose section of a part for viola da gamba that has interspersed bass clef and alto clef for cello–eg all into bass clef or tenor clef. I watched the Youtube video above but am not sure I can do this with forte. In otherwords I need to be able to change just sections within a movement of a sonata –not the whole movement– so that it’s in a clef more easily readable by the cellist
Can Forte do this?
Dear Pegeen,
thank you for your comment.
Yes, you can do this kind of transposition with FORTE.
Feel free to send the original file to the tech support at
support (at) fortenotation (dot) com
to get more details.
Kind regards,
Your FORTE team
will this transpose from Cello to A clarinet?
Hi Peter,
yes, that’s possible!
Kind regards,
Barbara
How do you get the music into the software? I am looking for a software where you can scan in a piece of music like stay in the key of C and transpose it into Bb for a clarinet or whatever instrument key you need it to be in. Does this software do that, well I mean without a lot of technical Hoops that you have to jump through to get it to transpose?
Peggy
Hi Peggy,
thank you for your question!
FORTE 11 Premium comes with ScanScore 2 Ensemble.
ScanScore does the scanning job – transposing can be done in ScanScore or in FORTE.
Download a trial version of FORTE 11 Premium here:
https://www.fortenotation.com/en/products/writing-scores/forte-premium/#tve-jump-16e4a5133c4
Kind regards,
Barbara
I am researching this program for the pianist at our church. Can you tell me the cost for the premium program?
Hi Patty,
thank you for your question.
We’re happy that you like FORTE and that you’re now planning to purchase the program.
Have a look here:
https://www.fortenotation.com/en/transaction/buy/
Kind regards,
Barbara
I would like to transpose existing sheet music for the piano. It never fails that I find a song that I really want to play, but it seems to have 50 flats and sharps, or it seems that way. What software do I need to purchase so I can change it to a key I can play?
Hi Dana,
thank you for your comment.
We know the feeling of 50 flats and sharps.
Here’s a tutorial on transposing with FORTE, giving you the details for each transposing possibility:
https://fortenotation.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/202764081-How-do-I-transpose-my-score-
If you’re curious which edition might be the best fit for you, try this virtual advisor:
https://www.fortenotation.com/en/virtual-product-advice/
Happy scoring to you!
I am a tuba player that plays 4 different pitch tubas(BBb, CC, EEb, F) with their different fingerings and clefs. Is this software capable of producing the requisite clef and key changes if I use a different horn for a given piece?
Hi Joseph,
thank you for your comment.
Yes, FORTE can produce the clef and key changes that are necessary.
Kind regards,
Barbara