How to Practise Any Melody, Progression, Riff or Lick in All 12 Keys (Piano)
To practise music in all 12 keys on piano, write the phrase as scale degrees, move it around the circle of fifths starting with the four keys C, F#, A and Eb, play progressions in every inversion, break riffs into small pieces, and practise licks over the I, IV and V chords.
Key points
- Write melodies as scale degrees on a melodic curve, then map them onto the new scale.
- After C, tackle F#, A and Eb first; their circle-of-fifths neighbours then become easy.
- Practise every chord progression in root position, first and second inversion.
- Break riffs into small pieces and move them by ear; licks should be practised over I, IV and V.
- Keys can also be cycled chromatically, by whole tones, or by major or minor thirds.
This lesson by Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shows how to take a short piece of music and play it confidently in all 12 keys. It is for pianists who can already play a few songs and want to transpose at will, which matters when a singer asks for a different key. Each type of material gets its own approach: a melody (Somewhere Over the Rainbow), a chord progression (the chorus of Africa by Toto), a riff (Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas) and an improvised blues lick.
Every key feels different under your hands, because the pattern of black and white notes changes. F# major does not feel like F major, even though the tune sounds the same. Treat this as an opportunity rather than a problem.
Transposing a Melody
First draw a melodic curve: a line showing where the tune rises and falls. The opening of Somewhere Over the Rainbow leaps up an octave, then moves through 7, 5, 6, 7 and back to the octave.
- Write the numbers 1 to 8.
- Under them, write the scale you are playing in, for example C D E F G A B C.
- Under that, write the new scale. The original key of the song is Ab major: Ab Bb C Db Eb F G Ab.
- Put scale degrees, not note names, on your melodic curve, then read off the new notes.
- Sing the tune on the new key's root before playing it.
Use the circle of fifths
Neighbouring keys on the circle of fifths share all but one note, so their fingering is almost identical. From Ab, both Eb and Db feel the same under the hand. From C, F and G are easy; you only watch out for the Bb in F and the F# in G.
So do not start with the easy neighbours. After C, go straight to the opposite side of the circle, F#. Then go to A (three steps clockwise) and Eb (three steps anticlockwise). These four keys form a square on the circle. Once you can play them well, their neighbours follow quickly, and the remaining eight keys may take only about a quarter of the time the first four took.
To make practice sound musical, travel the circle in order, for example C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, F#, B, E, A, D, G and back to C. It sounds like music rather than an exercise.
Transposing a Chord Progression
The Africa chorus is in A major and uses vi, IV, I, V: F#m, D, A, E.
- Practise it in root position, first inversion and second inversion, since every triad has three positions.
- Give each inversion its own pattern: four right-hand hits to one left-hand hit, an arpeggio such as high, low, middle, low, or a salsa-style rhythm.
- Write out the new key's chords before playing. Remember that in a major key I, IV and V are major, ii, iii and vi are minor, and vii is diminished.
Start with A major's neighbours. In D major the progression is Bm, G, D, A. In E major it is C#m, A, E, B.
Transposing a Riff
Riffs are usually built from simple material: the minor or major pentatonic scale, or just the root and fifth. You rarely need to write them out note by note.
- Break the riff into small packets and learn each one.
- Move each packet to new keys by ear: sing the starting note, find it, and use trial and error.
- Your finger shape usually stays the same; you mainly work out the new white and black key movements.
- Join the packets back together.
Riffs can be played with both hands, or with the left hand on the riff and chords in the right. Keep strict time, because riffs are played with a drummer and bass player.
Transposing a Lick
Record any lick that comes to you in a voice memo app, then work out which key and parent scale it is in. Practise it with finger snaps and notice where it starts: on beat one, on a pickup before the one, or later. Then play it over the I, IV and V chords, as in a 12-bar blues. In C that means C, F and G, and the shape stays very similar.
Other Paths Through the 12 Keys
- Chromatic: a semitone up or down.
- Whole tone: two semitones at a time.
- Major thirds, such as C, E, Ab.
- Minor thirds, such as C, Eb, F#, A.
Chromatic and whole-tone moves test whether you know each new shape instantly. The circle of fifths is the most musical path.
Questions about this lesson
What is the best order to practise a piece in all 12 keys?
Start with your original key, then go to the opposite key on the circle of fifths and the keys three steps either side, such as C, F#, A and Eb. Their neighbours share all but one note, so the other eight keys come much faster.
How do I transpose a melody quickly?
Write 1 to 8, the current scale under it and the new scale under that. Mark the melody by scale degrees and read off the notes in the new key.
Why should I practise chord progressions in inversions?
Each triad has three positions, so practising root position, first and second inversion gives three complete ways to play any progression and smoother movement between chords.
Which keys should I practise a blues lick in?
Practise it on the I, IV and V chords of the key, for example C, F and G in C, because these are the chords of a 12-bar blues.
Practise it
- Circle of FifthsExplore the Circle of Fifths through keys, scales, chords and intervals.
- WoodshedKeep a practice record, set goals and work on songs with tools for looping, changing speed and changing key.
- Piano classes at Nathaniel School of MusicLive online or in Bangalore, with a teacher.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- One Mammoth Lesson: Major Scales in All 12 Keys, Circle of Fifths and Chord InversionsYou can practise chord inversions in all 12 keys by moving triads around the Circle of Fifths: go counterclockwise in authentic (V–I) cadences with your right hand climbing up the keyboard, then clockwise in plagal (IV–I) cadences with the chords descending, always keeping common notes and moving the others by the smallest step.
- Make Chord Practice Fun With the Circle of Fifths (Part 1)To practise major chords around the Circle of Fifths, play all 12 triads moving clockwise (the plagal direction) and anticlockwise (the authentic direction), keeping the common note and sliding the other two notes, then turn it into a rhythm workout by shrinking the arpeggio cycle from 8 beats down to 3 while the metronome stays at the same tempo.
- How to Practise Chord Inversions Using the Circle of Fifths (Piano)To practise chord inversions with the circle of fifths, pick a target chord, play its neighbour on the circle (IV for a plagal cadence, V for an authentic cadence), and choose the inversion that keeps the common note in the same position so the chords connect smoothly.
- 10 Rhythm Patterns That Make Chord Inversions EasyTo make chord inversions musical, play the root position, first inversion and second inversion of a triad such as Bb major or C major through real rhythm patterns like block chords, oom-pah, waltz, broken chords, arpeggios, the tresillo, the Charleston, dual-speed arpeggios and floating inversions.