Transposing an Arpeggio
Remember, it is the arpeggio that is being transposed. If you want to add energy, movement, and variety to your arpeggio, follow these steps:
Turn on Transpose: Set Transpose to ON and select a transposition interval value. This will transpose the arpeggio by the chosen interval.
TIP: Start with the Octave interval over two steps.
Set the Transpose Cycle: This option repeats the arpeggio for the selected number of cycles before applying a transposition.
Set Transpose Steps: This determines how many times the arpeggio will be transposed by the selected interval value, within the number of selected cycles, and according to the chosen transposition pattern.
Set the Transposition Pattern: This will transpose the individual notes of the selected chord in the specified pattern.
Note: The Transposition Pattern and Chord Play Pattern are different settings. The Chord Play Pattern sets the sequence for playing individual notes within the arpeggio. Transposition moves the entire arpeggio, intact, according to the selected pattern.
To showcase solo virtuosity, many legendary instrumentalists repeat a chord play pattern for several cycles as they sweep the arpeggio across many octave intervals. The Transpose Cycle option allows repeating the play pattern multiple times at each interval step before it is transposed.
As mentioned earlier, the octave interval is the only transposition where every note stays in key. The perfect fifth transposition (upwards) and the perfect fourth interval (downwards) also keep the transposed notes within the selected key. Don’t be afraid to experiment with dissonant intervals for transpositions to enhance your creative efforts.
Guitar chord voicings in ChordWalk are based on recommended fretting for academic and professional performers. Some chord selections may have their first and second note order positions missing in an arpeggio, which can add variety to a melody.