Simple Transposition
Moving a melody up or down so it starts on a different note while keeping its exact shape.
This chapter has moved. When the Music Theory track was rewritten (Aug 2026) to match the current Theory Packs, transposition moved from Grade 2 to Grade 3, now paired with modulation. Head to Modulation & Transposition for the current version, with an updated quiz.
Explainer
Transposing means moving a whole melody up or down by the same interval, so it starts on a different note but keeps its exact shape.
Every note moves by the same distance. If the first note moves up a 2nd, every other note moves up a 2nd too.
Transposition doesn't change the tune's contour (its ups and downs) â only where it sits.
Worked examples
Transposing up a 2nd
C-D-E becomes D-E-F⯠â same shape, one step higher.
Transposing down a 3rd
E-F-G becomes C-D-E â three steps lower, same shape.
Keeping the shape
If a melody leaps up then steps down, the transposed version leaps up then steps down by the very same amounts.