Hey I’ve always wondered,why learn how to play songs,notes,improvise etc a song in one key but not learn how to transpose it into all other keys so you can play with any type singer etc?and when I look it up online they just show how to transpose chords,but what’s an easy way to do notes and chords…ie whole songs ? Do we just put a capo on and play everything…solos,chords,notes and all starting where the capo is? Thanks
To transpose chords, you can indeed simply use a capo and raise everything in semitone jumps.
If you want to change the key downwards, that is a different issue and requires some deeper understanding and analysis of the chords harmonic structure.
To raise the key for chords → capo up
To lower the key for chords → assign the chords their Roman numeral and shift between keys with the new tonic chord chosen to be lower than the original.
Example
In the key of C
| C | G | Em | F | C | G | Dm | C |
Roman numerals
| I | V | iii | IV | I | V | ii | I |
In the key of A (thinking that A is three semitones below C)
| A | E | C#m | D | A | E | Bm | A |
To transpose scales for lead / improvisation, you simply need to know and be able to use scale patterns and know that they are all movable. All you need to do is find the position of the required new root note and base everything around it. No capo needed at all.
Cheers
Richard
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…or you could learn to use the Nashville numbering system which was designed for the purpose.
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Indeed, a capo is an easy way to transpose UP; and you treat your capo as the nut of your guitar.
That only goes UP, so in some case you might want to put a capo up a few steps but you sing a whole octave lower. that way, you can use a capo to transpose the vocals down.
Well, I always wondered why nothing shows up when searching for that in the search bar on the website
I agree, in my “teachings” about how you need to take control of a song in order to make it your own and start building upon in, one of my major points is to transpose to an ideal range for your voice or a key you’d like to play in on guitar.
Transposing also gives you access to different flavours of the same songs, because of different chord voicings you will use.
Should my next “Motivation and Inspiration” Live Club be a full length session about transposing, which tools can help you and go through csome examples? It was a small feature in some of my clubs on how to combine the concepts of capo and transposing but perhaps some specific attention could be valuable. I’ll set up a poll in a different thread 
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You could learn every song’s chords in two positions: bass note on the 6th string, bass note on the 5th string. Or, let’s say, before the fifth fret and after one. This way you’ll be able to easily move to another tonality, since you know at least two different positions for each chord.
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You can also just tune down a bit too 
Perhaps consider selecting an appropriate Key before you learn the song ? … 
Life’s too short … well, for me at least … … with too many other things to learn.
Keep it fun … 
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Thought I would just throw this in.
Justin’s Tabs and another well known site have the ability to do the transposing for you, however if it is already played with a capo then things get more complicated if you want to understand the theory about what is going on.
Looks as though Lieven @LievenDV might be covering this in a up and coming Club.
Michael
That’s how I usually do it.
1: what is the basic progression?
2: what are the lowest en highest points in the vocal melody?
3: which key do I need to transpose to to make it fit my optimal range the most?
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Thank you Lieven , 
It’s reassuring to know that I might be doing something right … 
+1 on learning songs by Nashville notation.
Changing key by capo is easy but shouldn’t be a crutch or the end all/be all. Get the common chord progressions under your fingers. I would add learning triads as being very helpful as well for building riffs, intro/outros and comping.
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Just in case you’re not sure why two numbering systems are being presented, they are basically the same.
Seven diatonic chords
Roman numerals & Nashville numbering
The former uses Roman numerals as upper case for major chords, lower case for minor and diminished chords.
The latter uses all Arabic numbers with indications written after for minor and diminished chords.
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,nice I can read Arabic
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Nashville : for those that don’t speak Latin !
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Thanks everyone for the reply’s.but yes a live club topic on how to transpose songs up and down a key for beginners would be ammmmmmmzaaaaazing
Oh and I used to play for my church and we would have songs where it just didn’t sound ,right, and it was cause we needed a new key for the singer.