Playing By Numbers

I’m learning to transpose songs using numbers. Numbered chords (I, IV, ii7, V7, etc.) were already familiar to me, so that part of PWJ’s Transposing from a Lead Sheet course felt comfortable. But transposing the melody? That's a whole new ballgame. It’s not just “this is a I chord, this is a IV chord.” It’s assigning a number (the scale degree) to every note in the melody and memorizing them.

I know this is going to get easier. In fact, it already is. I’m starting to hear the melody and think, “that’s the 5,” or “that’s a sharp 4.” It’s taken a lot of focused work. A lot of “deep practice,” as they call it.

In this video, I’m playing the melody to "Makin’ Whoopee" in several different keys. My brain isn’t thinking of note names (Eb, F, etc.); it’s thinking in numbers. In Eb, G is 3, B natural is #5, and so on. I’m able to play through the melody relatively smoothly, even as the key changes.

I’ve been at my mom’s house in North Carolina for most of the past week. With a hurt left wrist and just a small keyboard to practice on, I did a lot of this kind of work. It was worth it. When I got home late last night and sat down at the piano this morning, I was able to play "My Heart Is Jumpin’" (by Jonny May, with a harmonic structure very similar to "Makin’ Whoopee") with both hands in several different keys. None of it was perfect, but the chords and melody came to me much faster than they would have without all that mental work.

My left wrist is feeling much better now, and I should be playing stride piano again soon. I’ve missed it, but I’m grateful for this brief break and the opportunity to sharpen my mental musical skills.

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