How do you find the main key of a song?

appliedguitartheory.com - How to Determine the Key of a Song - Applied Guitar Theory

Are pianists good at math?

Playing the piano improves your mathematical ability. Notes and rhythms, as well as music theory, are based on math. Reading music and counting...

Last updated Apr 28, 2021

How long does it take to learn fiddle?

Two to sound decent, and four to sound good. Started at 28 and had teacher for a bunch of that time. One year to get the right notes in the right...

Last updated Jul 15, 2021

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Pianoforall is one of the most popular online piano courses online and has helped over 450,000 students around the world achieve their dream of playing beautiful piano for over a decade.

Learn More »

Promotion

How to Determine the Key of a Song

One of the more challenging obstacles as a beginner guitarist, or if you’re just new to guitar theory, is figuring out how to determine the key of a song. Some songs stick to standard chords within a key, which makes this task much easier. Other songs, however, are not as straight forward and take a little more effort to figure out. This lesson breaks down the common methods that help with this process.

What is the key of a song?

The key of a song is the note or chord the music is centered around, the tonic. For instance, if you were playing in the key of C, the C major chord would be the tonic, or 1, chord. You can view the guitar chord key chart to see the rest of the chords in the key of C.

Key signature

The easiest way to figure out the key of a song is by using its key signature. The number of sharps/flats in the key signature tell you the key of the song. A key signature with no sharps or flats is the key of C (or A minor). The table below summarizes the key signatures. Sharps Flats Key Number of # Key Number of ♭ C 0 C 0 G 1 F 1 D 2 B♭ 2 A 3 E♭ 3 E 4 A♭ 4 B 5 D♭ 5 F# 6 G♭ 6 C# 7 C♭ 7

How to determine the key of a song without a key signature

What if you don’t have a key signature to tell you the key of a song? You have to go about it a bit differently. It takes a little more work, but using the steps below can make it a little more methodical.

On which chord does the song end?

In many cases, the chord on which the song ends will be the key of the song. This is because ending on the I chord gives the song resolution. However, this isn’t always the case. To confirm the key you may need to chart the chords to see which key they fit.

Map the chords to a given key

Sometimes figuring out the key of a song takes laying out the chords and seeing where they fit. Unless you have keys memorized really well, you’ll probably want to reference a key chart. You can also use a reference such as the Guitar Key Guide, which contains the chords and scale patterns for all major and minor keys.

Who is the best pianist in the world today?

Lang Lang (born 1982) Lang Lang is arguably the most famous Classical musician of today and the ultimate modern Classical pianist. Oct 27, 2021

Last updated Feb 11, 2018

What age is best to start music lessons?

4-7 Years Old 4-7 Years Old. The ages 4-7 are usually the most ideal for starting to learn an instrument. Not only are kids' hands and minds...

Last updated Jun 5, 2021

Promotion

Let’s look at an example. Say we have the following chords: C Am D G If you look at the key chart you’ll see that these chords come from the key of G. Key I ii iii IV V vi* vii G G Am Bm C D Em F#m♭5

Use your ear

Note that these same chords are contained in the relative minor of G (Em) as well. If the previous chord progression also contained the Em chord, you would have to determine the key by listening to the song to see what the tonal center was. If the song has a sadder feel to it, you would consider it to be in the key of Em. Conversely, if it had a happier feel to it the key would be G.

Speed up the process by looking for patterns

You can sometimes speed up the chord mapping process by noticing patterns in the chords. Take a look at the chord qualities of major/minor keys in the table below. Major Key I ii iii IV V vi vii Minor Key i ii III iv v VI VII Notice the patterns. Two major chords in a row represent the 4th & 5th degrees of a major scale and 6th and 7th degrees of a minor scale. For example, if you were playing a chord progression that included a C major chord and a D major chord, those chords would represent the 4th and 5th degrees of a major scale and 6th and 7th degrees of a minor scale. With this, you can count up 3 notes from the 5th to find the major key or up 1 note to find the minor key:

Major -> G

Minor -> Em

Wrap Up

Learning how to determine the key of a song takes practice. The more you do it and the more you develop your ear, the easier it becomes. Not all song chords fit neatly into a given key, but the methods outlined here can get you moving in the right direction.

appliedguitartheory.com - How to Determine the Key of a Song - Applied Guitar Theory

What's the most popular instrument?

What Is the Most Popular Instrument to Play? #1 – Piano. It might surprise you to know that 21 million Americans play the piano! ... #2 – Guitar....

Last updated Mar 28, 2021

How long should a 10 year old practice guitar?

Your child should practice regularly, just like a student in band or orchestra. Students should average between two and three hours a week. The...

Last updated Mar 30, 2021

Promotion

What is F mode key?

The FnLk, F-Lock key is a toggle key on a PC compatible keyboard used to enable or disable the F1 through F12 keys' secondary functions (hotkeys)....

Last updated Oct 7, 2021

Promotion

Can you teach piano at home?

Yes! While we believe the best way to learn piano is from an expert instructor, we're also in full support of students who prefer self-learning....

Last updated May 19, 2022