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For interactive demos of MasterKey, please
click here. |
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MasterKey is the compact, double-sided slide-rule that you can easily
carry with your instrument.
"Excellent service and BRILLIANT product. I
highly recommend all musos buy it A+++"
BONUS book:
With lessons on using your MasterKey for
Transposing, Chords,
Scales and Improvisation, our MasterKey 'Blue Book' is free
for you when you purchase
a MasterKey.
The lessons have been prepared by a professional music teacher, and
are designed to show
you exactly how MasterKey is used in real situations.
The Blue Book is perfect for students as well as teachers.
".. excellent help booklet .."
All musicians, music teachers and music students know that music theory can
be a real challenge at
times.
MasterKey is designed to
remove the mystery!
GREAT GIFT IDEA
...
For the budding musician in
your life, MasterKey would make a fascinating and useful present.
As
a free service, we can easily arrange for a MasterKey to be sent direct to a
special address.
When you win the item, just send us an eBay
'Question', giving us the name and full address of the person you would like the
MasterKey sent to. We will then mark the package accordingly, and email the
receipt to you.
We will even put a small card in with the MasterKey. Just tell
us who it is 'from' and who 'to' !
You now know (almost) everything about MasterKey:
what it does, and who it's
for.
Getting your new MasterKey in your hands is easy: just go to
the
bottom of the page and place a
bid! Or Buy-it-Now and get it done!
Delivery is fast - virtually overnight in Australia, and only a few days
to the US, UK and elsewhere.
Need to know more?
Read on ...
If any of the topics mentioned above needs a bit of explaining,
there is
plenty of information below...
Just scroll down for specific information about Transposing, Scales and Chords,
and how MasterKey can help Students, Teachers, Schools
and more advanced musicians.
There is a useful FAQ section, and more.
Thank you very much for 'visiting' this ad. We hope you are enjoying the
experience!
MasterKey's features: Transposition / Key-changing
What is transposition?
Whenever you have to change the key of the music you're playing, whether it's
to fit in with the needs of
other instruments, or to make it easier to
sing along with, or to simplify the key to suit your own playing abilities - that's a
transposition.
MasterKey, with one quick adjustment, shows you all the
notes (or chords) in your
'old key' right next to all their equivalents in
your 'new key'. And we're talking 'any old key' to 'any new key' here. Not just C
to F, but E flat to B flat, A
to D - you name it!
If you're playing marked chords on a song-sheet, you can make the
transposition 'in real time', glancing
between the music and MasterKey at
each new chord.
When it comes to more complex music, MasterKey gives you rock-solid,
note-perfect transpositions
that you can prepare in advance.
Who needs to transpose?
Any instrument that can play a scale - so we're eliminating the
triangle, for example - plays music in one
key or another, and has to handle
different keys. Transposition is needed.
Those of you who play 'transposing instruments' have a
special need, as you already know. Clarinets,
saxophones, trumpets - these and other instruments have to have their music
written in a different key to
non-transposing instruments, so that they all
sound the same. Bandmasters, we could say, 'live to transpose', with several
different versions of the
same tune needed for their various
transposing instruments - and MasterKey makes their job easy and accurate.
Singers, with their different ranges, can either manage the
key that a song is written in, or not. If not, the
instruments have to change key. Time to
transpose, everyone!
Top
Scales
Yes, the very word has lots of beginners looking out the window.
But scales are vital, and
they are there in all the music we play.
MasterKey removes the mystery from scales.
Major, minor (natural, harmonic, melodic), pentatonic, blues - they all sound a
bit intimidating to the
beginner.
What would you say if all those Scales - and the seven
Modes,
which can be as mystifying as seven more scales - could be
demonstrated so clearly that the
patterns that they make, the rules that they
follow, are soon obvious?
MasterKey graphically shows you the 'shape' of each of those scales, and by
adjusting the slide to any
required Tonic, or key-note, the notes that
make up the scales in that key can be seen instantly. If you look closely at the
picture on the
right, you will see two Melodic Minor lines.
The melodic minor is different ascending from descending - looking out the
window again? - but
MasterKey is right with you, setting it all out for
you to follow.
One more thing about major and minor scales: every major scale has its
relative minor scale, with
which it shares all its notes. MasterKey has a
clever feature that gives you all the relative minors, too.
We would all agree that music - making music - is something very special.
Don't let the technicalities
spoil it for you. Move through the maze of
scales and modes with MasterKey.
Top
Chords
The effective use of chords is what gives music its colour, its mood and its
character.
MasterKey gives you the framework, in any key you choose,
of the most essential and popular
chords. If you play guitar, particularly, you probably play chords. They're
everywhere. So it makes
sense to have them clear in your head.
In addition to straight Major and Minor chords, MasterKey features Dominant,
Major and Minor 7ths,
plus Diminished and Augmented chords. A
quick alignment of the Tonic with the name-note of the key concerned, will show
you exactly which
notes make which chord. And because all the
chords are grouped together, you will also notice how they relate to each other -
and where they are
different.
Have your MasterKey handy at all times. Let the music begin!
Top
For Musicians
Need to make a quick key-change?
MasterKey gives you accurate, fast key-changing, between any two keys.
And as MasterKey is not a digital device or a computer program, it
is always ready for use instantly. MasterKey is light and easy to carry with your
instrument, never needs batteries, and is tough enough to take the knocks of
everyday use!
Don't forget that MasterKey can be a quick refresher on Scales and
Chords in any key, and Modes.
Back
For Students
If you're a student of music, either learning an instrument or singing,
chances are you are either
learning with a teacher or you're learning at
home.
If you're having lessons, a MasterKey beside you can help you through those
difficult areas of theory,
where you might struggle with the concept of
scales, modes, chords and transposition.
If you're doing it at home, buying book after book, hoping that the whole theory
thing will go away - it
won't! - MasterKey will help bring those dry
subjects off the page and turn them into music.
You don't have to give
up on your instrument just
because you don't understand the theory!
MasterKey ... making music
easier!
Back
For Teachers / Schools / Music Academies
As a teacher, you already know it: how a scale is formed, how a
transposition works, what modes
are, and chords. Well, maybe nobody
knows all the chords in existence, but you have no problem with the essentials.
Trouble is, getting it across!
You probably have some students who will pick these things up instinctively.
They're naturals, and very
lucky.
But as with most subjects, music generally needs to be explained in a patient
and methodical way, with
the message getting across in its own
good time.
Using MasterKey, you and your students will find you have a fascinating and
effective way of handling
those theory topics which are such
important steps along the way to learning to play an instrument.
Class Teachers: a MasterKey for each of your students, for you to assist
him or her through those
challenges which are part of learning an
instrument, can be a great help in reducing drop-outs.
Let's face it:
your enthusiasm for the
theory isn't always shared by your pupils.
Everyone wants to grasp the theory as quickly as possible, and get on with
making music. MasterKey
is with them all the way!
MasterKey comes with printed instructions, with full details of all
its functions.
-- They are available for you to read online. Click here
to see them now.
(You will need Adobe Reader.)
Students learn faster with
MasterKey.
Back
Arrangers / Professionals
Arrangers and bandmasters love the way MasterKey gives quick and
accurate transpositions when
preparing parts for different instruments
and voices.
MasterKey
never makes mistakes!
Back
Demos
Click here for interactive
demos, showing how
MasterKey
is used for Transposition, Scales and
Chords.
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new browser window. To return here, just close ('X') the new
window.
(The demos are quite 'large', and a fast connection is
recommended.)
A bit of history
MasterKey's
inventor - that's me! - was having guitar lessons when the subject of transposition came up.
A twist of the mouth, a deep breath and a scratch of the
nose meant that here was something that had
to be dealt with!
At the next lesson I produced a prototype transposer - much to the
astonishment of my teacher and the
amazement of my fellow pupils. And as
transposition is a 'comparison' of scales, scales themselves (eight types),
followed by chords (also
eight types), were incorporated into
MasterKey's multiple functions.
Encouraged by my teacher, Frank Holdforth,
and the response to my
appearance on "The Inventors" on Australian
ABC TV, I developed it into a fully professional, quality product, which, along
the way, was rewarded
with a medal at the International Inventions
Exhibition in Geneva.
Going 'straight'.
In designing MasterKey, I believed strongly in a 'straight' design, where
all the information was right-way-up and easy to read. The alternative
was a circular device, which would have been much cheaper to make, but such a design means that a lot
of the information is always upside-down. I also discovered that adding
scales, chords, modes and transposition to a circular design meant that
it was almost impossible to read!
I chose the straight design, and the significant investment in injection-moulding tools was made. The result, using high-strength ABS material, is a quality tool that is very
easy to read, feels good, handles
easily and is tough and practical and simple to use. (A small
touch: you'll like the ingenious way the slides are prevented from coming out!)
BACK
Testimonial
"As a teacher of music for the past 30 years, the need for an aid or device
for the student to assist
them with transposing, learning scale and
chord construction, intervals, etc. has been more and more apparent. I believe
MasterKey is the most
comprehensive aid yet devised.
In teaching theory, most of which is done without the instrument at hand, it is
very difficult to think
instantly and know the I, IV and V chord of
whatever key is being discussed, and even more difficult to know the relative
minor chords in any key.
The same can be said for knowing the note
names in any nominated scale, major or minor.
With MasterKey in front of you, these things can be seen at a glance whilst the
teacher is talking, thus
making it comparatively simple to follow the
lesson.
MasterKey is something that can be used by anyone,
whether it be a housewife
doing a musicianship course for the sense of
achievement, or a 'serious' music student looking for maximum progress in his
or her chosen career.
MasterKey has an added advantage, and that is that it is able to be used by
players of all instruments,
whether they be keyboard, brass, reed or
string.
Unlock your theoretical problems with your MasterKey . You'll never be
sorry."
Frank Holdforth.
Read what other eBayers have said about
MasterKey
Some of our eBay buyers' Feedback :
Back
Teacher's testimonial
FAQ
BACK
Does MasterKey come with full instructions?
Yes, every feature of your MasterKey is explained, with examples of
key-changes, scales, modes and
chords.
MasterKey's instructions are available for you to read online. Click here
to
see them now.
Will I need to treat my MasterKey like a delicate
instrument?
No, MasterKey is made of tough ABS plastic and will last you for years.
Does MasterKey produce sounds?
NO! MasterKey works by visually demonstrating its various functions. Any
scales and chords that you
hear on this website are to help you
imagine what you could be doing with your instrument.
Why is MasterKey not 'digital'?
A digital MasterKey, or a computer program, could give the answers which
MasterKey gives. The
great difference is that with the solid, physical
MasterKey you can see what is happening when you transpose, you can see
the 'shape' of scales,
modes and chords. It's that visualisation, that
mental image, that will soon be part of you. When it is, you will know that you
have thoroughly grasped
the subject.
Is MasterKey portable?
Yes, very! MasterKey is 300mm (12") long and weighs
about 130 g ( 4½ oz).
It never needs batteries, and since it is not
a computer program, you will be able to use it anywhere.
Is MasterKey easy to read?
Yes! MasterKey's 'straight-line' style means that all the information is 'right way
up', and easy to follow.
Why is MasterKey 'straight', not 'round' ?
BACK
MasterKey doesn't just give you the
answers .....
MasterKey shows you how it's done.
MasterKey is the proud recipient of a medal at the Geneva Exhibition of
Inventions.
Following television 'appearances', MasterKey
went to Switzerland and came away a medal-winner.
Top
MasterKey opportunities
for Students
You and your friends can make a great saving on MasterKey when you buy in bulk. And if you're interested
in making some extra money, you can
always buy in bulk and re-sell!
See the 'Buy and re-sell' section below.
for Schools/Music Academies/Teachers
Buying in bulk means that you can equip your classroom with MasterKeys at a very affordable price. This
would be a great opportunity for you to
help your students to understand music theory faster and more easily. And where students wish to buy
their own MasterKeys, you are in a position
to assist them.
Buy and Re-sell
Great places to sell MasterKeys would be your local schools, youth clubs, church groups and social clubs.
No doubt you can think of others.
Buying in bulk to re-sell means a business opportunity for you.
There must be thousands of guitars - and not just guitars - lying around in cupboards, kept in garages and
generally forgotten, because their
owners never got over the hurdles of music theory.
MasterKey can help bring those instruments back to life!
Musical Instrument Manufacturers / Sellers and Stores
Here is a great, inexpensive and very helpful product to compliment your instrument sales. Players who
understand their music will come back for
better and better instruments! MasterKey's job is to help people understand their music.
If you are interested in cross-promoting your product(s) with MasterKey on eBay, or if you have a product that you would like us to promote for you, we would like to hear from you.
Please do not
hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Promoting MasterKey
If you are interested in promoting MasterKey, you are very welcome to contact us.
Ordering
• Payment:
We accept payment by PayPal, Bank Deposit Express, credit card
(Visa, MasterCard,
Australian Bankcard), Australian or International
Money Order (MUST be in Australian dollars) or Australian Bank Cheque.
• Delivery : by mail/economy airmail,
normally despatched immediately
after your payment is confirmed.
• Insurance : Shipping insurance or registered
post is available to some countries, and is optional, at extra
cost.
• Customs : Orders delivered
outside Australia: although we have had no reports of customs duty ever being charged on the import of a
single MasterKey into another country, please be aware that it is possible, and that any such charge will
be your responsibility to pay.
• Returns :
14 days/ Refund by Money Back. We are confident that you
will find MasterKey a useful tool in helping you with your music. However, if you
are not happy with your MasterKey, return it to us, at your expense, in new
condition, within 14 days of receipt for a refund of the purchase price (less the
original postage charge).
MasterKey is designed for regular use and is made to a high standard, using
very strong and durable
materials. In the unlikely event that your
MasterKey has a manufacturing defect which affects its usability, please return
it to us within twelve
months of purchase for a replacement.
MasterKey is manufactured by
Kembo-Cuisenaire, Sydney , Australia .
Post: PO Box 253 , Mona Vale, NSW 1660, Australia
Factory address: 35/5 Ponderosa Parade, Warriewood, NSW
ABN: 94 335 484 562
MasterKey has a dedicated site: "www.mymasterkey.com"
MasterKey ... making music easier
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