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About This Lesson
For this week’s lesson I’m sharing another must-know tech tip to help you play along with your favorite songs. I’ll show you how to change the key of any YouTube video using the free Transpose extension for Google Chrome.
First, I’ll demonstrate how this works with a guitar cover in E-flat tuning (i.e. all strings tuned a half-step down). By using Transpose to shift the video up one half-step, you can play along in standard tuning without retuning your guitar.
Next, I’ll show how this trick helps when playing along with a guitarist using a capo — if you don’t have one but still want to play along. Whatever fret the artist has the capo on (e.g. 4), simply use Transpose to lower shift the video down by that same number of semitones. This lets you play along with the capo’d guitarist, even though you’re rocking no capo.
The Transpose extension is completely free. I’m not sponsored or paid to recommend it. It’s simply a really handy trick for any guitar player who likes learning from YouTube videos. I hope you enjoy!
Lesson Discussion
Videos I Reference
In my video tutorial above, I first demonstrate the Transpose extension using Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain as covered by Carson McKee. Here’s the video of him playing it… recall that he is in E-flat tuning (a.k.a. “1/2 step down”).
You’d need to set transpose: 1 in order to play along with him, if you’re in standard tuning. This moves him up in pitch by one semitone, nullifying his half-step-down tuning.
I also show this cover of Toni Lindgren covering Ripple by The Grateful Dead. She’s using a capo on the 4th fret, but we can play along with her (without a capo) if we set transpose: —4. This brings her down in pitch by four semitones (i.e. four frets) — meaning her capo’s effect is nullified.
Related and Recommended
My Lessons for Ripple and Blue Eyes Cryin in the Rain
If you’d like to learn either of the two songs I feature in my main video above, here’s links to those lessons:
My Lesson Teaching YouTube Keyboard Shortcuts
At the end of my video above, I mention my lesson teaching you several must-know YouTube Keyboard shortcuts. Here’s a link to that lesson, which includes a print-friendly PDF cheat sheet.
Songs I’ve Taught That Use E-flat Tuning
Below is a list of all the lessons I’ve made for songs that were recorded in E-flat tuning. Note, all my tutorials below are recorded in standard tuning for your convenience! However, if you listened to the artist recording of any of the songs below, their tuning is 1/2 step down (i.e. using E-flat tuning).
Other Tuning Lessons I’ve Made
Browse Related Lessons
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