One track, every key

Backing tracks are usually posted in a single key, and the one you need is often not that one. With PitchShed you do not hunt for a different upload for every key: play the one you have and shift it by as many as 12 semitones either way.

Choosing the key

  • For singing: shift until the tune lies inside your voice.
  • For guitar: pick a key with chord shapes you know, and shift the track to match.
  • For horns: move the track to a key that lies well on your instrument.

The same lick in twelve keys

Jazz and blues players often practice a phrase in every key. A backing track makes that easy: play it at +1, then +2, and so on. Mark the changes you are working on with a loop, and it repeats them in each new key.

Whole semitones only

The Key control moves in whole semitones and has no fine-tuning in cents. If a track is slightly sharp or flat against your instrument, tune your instrument to the track rather than the other way round.

Remembered for the video

The key you picked is saved with the video, which means the next practice session begins in the same key.

A worked example

A backing track is posted in A, but you want to practice your solo in G. Press − twice and the whole track drops a whole step, from A to G. Practice there, then press + twice to hear the original again.

Finding the key that fits

If you do not know which key you need, move the track one semitone at a time while you play a few notes of a scale on your instrument. When your notes stop clashing with the track, you have found a key that fits your playing.