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Hi all. Been out of touch for a while, lots of practicing, but I'm back.
Just finishing my 2nd year, 1-2hrs/day 7 days/week. The carpal tunnel op worked fine.
Q: I have 400 songs from my tenor sax days, the real book VI, all in Bb. I know 2 half steps up will get me to C for the piano, and using degrees on the chords will also work. If a song is in the key of DMaj do I just use the above method to get me to C? I found a song in the key of Bb and that was real easy.
thanks, frank

Just get the iRealB app on IOS or Android and it's got all the tunes and let it transpose for you.

I think you mean "transpose" not "transcribe".

I'd use the roman numeral method

http://www.guitarfriendly.net/transpose-change-key-chord-chart/

You've got it partially right. In order to get a Bb instrument to play with the piano, you have to write its part 2 half steps up. If you write a C, a Bb sounds. So if you want a C to sound, you have to write a D.

However, if you're going the other way, taking a sax chart and writing it out for the piano player, you go the other direction. So a sax song in the key of D would be the key of C for the piano. A Bb sax part will be Ab on the piano.

jazzwee you're right I ment transpose. thanks for your answer, brian.

I woke this morning trying to understand chords within a key. I know that single notes don't waver from the key except for an occasional accidental. But, with chords their all over the place. For example I was practicing a song in G and most of the melody stayed with only a F#, except for a flat here and there. However the chords were all over the place, Major Flat chords, minors with 4 sharps and so on.
So my conclusion is that with chords there are many accidentals, for lack of a better term.
Comments, please.
frankeric

Many tunes stick to a particular key, but not all chords are diatonic to that key. Randy Halbestadt in his book Metaphors for the Musicians does a beautiful job at explain this using what he calls the solar system.

Then, many tunes modulate. They actually change keys.

I'm now practing a simple song starting in C and moving up the circle transposing. Very much brain damage but important, IMO. The melody is not too hard but the chords are a killer. I'm using the chord degree to move to the new key, not easy, for a relative beginer.
frank