Transposing: changing key

This entry provides instructions for transposing the key of a piece (or part of a piece). If you want to transpose a passage without changing the key signature itself, see Transposing: by interval. If you want to find out about transposing instruments, see Transposing instruments.

To transpose a piece (Key Signature Tool)

To transpose an entire piece or a region, see Key signatures.

To transpose chord symbols

See To transpose chord symbols.

To enter pre-transposed music onto a transposing staff (step time)

You might wonder how Finale handles notes you input on a transposing staff—does it consider the notes you’re entering to be the concert pitches or the written ones? When you’re using the step-time music entry tools (the Simple Entry and Speedy Entry tools), it’s up to you.

The following instructions show you how to specify that the notes you’re entering have already been transposed—for example, if you’re copying an existing score.

• Choose Display in Concert Pitch from the Document Menu if there is a checkmark next to it. You’ll see by the key signatures that Finale is displaying the transposing staves in their transposed form. In this mode, any new notes you enter with either step-time input tool are considered already transposed. In other words, if you play a C on the MIDI keyboard, it appears as a C on the transposed staff, even though it will play back as some other note, because you’ve just entered a written C. If you want to enter the concert pitches, choose Display score in Concert Pitch again from the Document Menu (so that the checkmark appears next to the menu item). Finale displays the contents of transposing staves at concert pitches. Any music you enter with either step-time input tool is now considered at concert pitch; when you turn Display in Concert Pitch off, it will be appropriately transposed.