WHAT KEY????????????

[mickee]

I have been playing keys for about 4 years off and on (more off than on). I can actually pick up a lot by ear and can play quite a few songs from beginning to end. BUT I have the hardest time understandig how to tell someone what key I am playing in. Unless I knew what key the song was in from the beginning, I have no idea what to let other musicians know. I understand that I have to get better with the theory part of playing, but is there a specific approach that I should attack?

[Bronzee]

Maybe someone could tell you where the site is on here for the keys. You play by ear and my nephew does to and he has this problem..he never could tell me what key he was playing in. I learn to read sheet music and i learn sharps and flats of how many flats was on key signatures to determine what key I was in because I didnt have a good ear.  If you are playing a song. For instance, if you are playing 3 flats , the key would be Eb, 4 flats, would be Ab,  now, 5 sharps would be B major.  This may be diffucult for you at first. Someone would say, you could learn this another way thur music theory, and i am not good with the theroy yet. Now, even when you play by ear, and learn all the Keys, how many sharps and flats, the song especially choirs songs do alot of key modulation{key changes}  and chord progressions and you don't change keys with some songs, they use major and minor chords, this is why gospel comptempory songs {church songs} I think are the most difficult songs to play. Hope this helps a little. Be bless.

[jonesl78]

THE BEST ADVISE THAT I COULD GIVE TO YOU IS LISTEN FOR THE ENDING OF THE SONG. ALMOST EVERY SONG WILL END IN THE KEY THAT IT IS IN.

[jonesl78]

THE BEST ADVISE THAT I COULD GIVE TO YOU IS LISTEN FOR THE ENDING OF THE SONG. ALMOST EVERY SONG WILL END IN THE KEY THAT IT IS IN.  iT WILL BE TH E VERY LAST NOTE OR CHORD.

EX. TWINKLE TWINKLE LITTLE STAR ( ENDING)

HOW I WON-DER WHAT YOU ARE.  
 F     F     E    E      D       D     C

[mickee]

THANKS SO MUCH. I WILL DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THEORY BOOKS TO LEARN KEY SIGNATURES. I WILL ALSO LISTEN MORE TO THE ENDING NOTES ON VARIOUS SONGS TO SEE WHAT KEY IT ENDS IN. THANKS AGAIN!

[musmin7]

If you know the name of the chords you are playing then that can be one way to determine the key of the song.
the next way is to learn at least the major scales in every key.
by doing this you can hear the pitch that is the common denomonator
that runs through the song.
you can determine this note by simply humming the note that will go with and not clash with the rest of the notes being played.
this note will be the key of the song.

learn the major I IV V chords by name in each key and the I chord will be the key of the song.

I IV V is the first fourth and fith increments of the major scale.

Key of C
C maj scale:

C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C

Ab scale:

Ab, Bb, C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab

count the notes from root the first note to the fourth to the fith note
these will be your major chords for the song in that particualar key.

In the key of C the I IV V chords are  C F AND G
The spelling for each chord is

CEG
CFA
DGB

THESE ARE THE I IV V Chord for the key of C

now follow this pattern by moving everything up one half step until you know it in every Key from C to C and you'll be on your way

be blessed

[mickee]

Thanks so much for the helpful information. God Bless..........