I sometimes play along with a clarinet player who, while she can sight read and transpose, it would make it incredibly simpler if i could simply have her melody line transposed +2 while my guitar chords (above the melody line) remain the original.
An example would be Unchained Melody, first chord is C, firs note is C, I want the lead sheet to read first chord C (for me) but the first note to be D (for her)
At the moment, if and when I transpose, it changes both so I have to create two separate charts and subsequently update two separate charts
Because I play keyboards, I don't know as much about transposing instruments as Matt so my below thought might not work. It's something that I'd try, though.
Under the "Melody" menu on the uppermost menu bar, if you select "Edit Melody," there's an option for "Transpose | Transpose melody track only."
The transpose option uses positive and negative values to raise/lower the melody. In theory, therefore, it should be possible to use +2 (or simply 2, as the + is understood) to raise the melody track a tone.
After doing this, and if it works, it would be necessary to mute the melody as Melody and Accompaniment would now be a tone apart and playback would punish the ears.
The two graphics below show what I mean.
If it works for you, please let us know as it's useful information for the forum.
Just print one out and read the other on the screen, adjusting the transposition as required.
Thank you, we don't have the laptop when we perform.
Noel's excellent suggestion should work, but if you don't have the laptop, can't you just print two scores and use those?
BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.
Noel's suggestion worked like a charm, exactly what I needed...my concern about printing and using two charts was chart management. Knowing me, on the night, something would go wrong.
My chords are right for the guitar, the melody line is right for the clarinet!
I still can't believe this function is there. I tried it and it worked, but I have two cautions.
First, on a few of my more adventurous songs with complex chords and passing tones in the melody, BIAB chose enharmonic spellings I would not have used. I guess it's doing this because what was a very standard chord for that melody note is no longer ordinary. Of course, you can force an accidental and correct these.
Second, there is no visual indication you've done this! Be careful to save the song under a different name, so you don't recall it someday and be puzzled why the melody sounds 'off'.
So, overall, not bad.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Great job, Noel! Second, there is no visual indication you've done this! Be careful to save the song under a different name, so you don't recall it someday and be puzzled why the melody sounds 'off'.
Yep, brand new title is the key otherwise you wouldn't know till the second or third measure and then strange looks all around :-)
In my test, I did Melody, Edit, Copy to Soloist Track first. Then I transposed the melody track and muted it. This way, you hear the melody in the correct pitches coming from the Soloist track.
BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Presonus Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
In my test, I did Melody, Edit, Copy to Soloist Track first. Then I transposed the melody track and muted it. This way, you hear the melody in the correct pitches coming from the Soloist track.
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