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Author Topic: Finding the key  (Read 2448 times)

Offline melvincole_07

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Finding the key
« on: February 01, 2008, 10:12:04 AM »
When im playing i can find the right key to play in     but sometimes if im playing a song  ive been asked wat key im in    how am i suppose to know that  or if sum1 says they in a certain key , how am i suppose to know other than hearing

Offline Gibby

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Re: Finding the key
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2008, 11:37:02 PM »
I'm not sure what you want to know, but if you do a 2-5-1 turnaround the 1 chord will be the key that you are in

hope that helps  :)

Offline melvincole_07

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Re: Finding the key
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2008, 01:50:53 PM »
I'm not sure what you want to know, but if you do a 2-5-1 turnaround the 1 chord will be the key that you are in

hope that helps  :)

Im sorry  i will try to make myself more clear for everyone
    If someone is playing a song and they tell me to play in a certain key, how do i know where to play on my guitar other than by hearing it
   also when i am playing and someone ask me what key is the song in, how am i suppose to know what to tell them?

Offline Jafar

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Re: Finding the key
« Reply #3 on: February 04, 2008, 05:18:02 PM »
ok i think i know what ur asking 4, cuz 4 da longest i wus asking da same question and nobody could understand me; until i purchase this cd-rom... so ima post some of it and if is wrong let me know, if is rite let me know too that way i can post da whole thing....

     Key of C
   C        Dm     Em       F        G       Am     Bdim
Csus2   Dsus2  Esus4  Fsus4  Fsus4  Asus2
Cmaj7   Dm7    Em7    Fmaj7  G7

Offline Jafar

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Re: Finding the key
« Reply #4 on: February 04, 2008, 05:23:05 PM »
ok i think i know what ur asking 4, cuz 4 da longest i wus asking da same question and nobody could understand me; until i purchase this cd-rom... so ima post some of it and if is wrong let me know, if is rite let me know too that way i can post da whole thing....

     Key of C
   C        Dm        Em       F        G       Am      Bdim
Csus2   Dsus2     Esus4  Fsus4  Fsus4  Asus2
Cmaj7   Dm7       Em7    Fmaj7    G7     Am7     Bm7b5
  C6     D7sus4  E7sus4    F6       G6   A7sus4
Cmaj9    Dm9      Em9    Fmaj9    G9     Am9

Sorry i pressed the wrong button  ;D So this are all the chords in da key of c i hope you understand it and like i said just let me kno

Offline trackman

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Re: Finding the key
« Reply #5 on: February 04, 2008, 08:00:18 PM »
In order to know what key you are in, you can look to either "E" string. When you search for the notes that sound right, the note that you first strike on the "E" string will be the key. There are some exceptions, but generally this will work. It'll take some practice to get it right everytime (of course knowing you penatatonic scales would be very useful). ;)
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Offline gtrdave

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Re: Finding the key
« Reply #6 on: February 05, 2008, 09:45:52 AM »
Finding the key of a song can come by two means:

1 is very practical and it requires the listener/player to know some theory. By understanding the structure of the chords and melody, you can easily determine the key center of any song.

The other means is somewhat intuitive...maybe inherent...and it requires the listener/player to be able to comprehend tension and resolution in music. This tension and resolution is a product of the structure of the chords and melody so understanding theory sure helps to understand why the tension and resolution is there but some folks, like me, can hear this stuff before we know what it is or why it is.

There's a common misconception that the first chord of a song coincides with the key of a song (for example; first chord is C major = key of C) and while this does happen from time to time, it's not a rule at all. Some songs start on the minor 6 chord, some on the 4 some on the 5 and some on the flat 2.
Some songs don't ever play the tonic (the root chord that coincides with the key) of the song and so the song doesn't ever sound like it resolves.
Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon in the Sky" doesn't play the tonic chord until the very end of the song. It's literally the LAST chord of the song.
Music theory is not always music reality.
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