how do i tell what key im in?

[mindflow]

so ive been playing for years but have never really mastered music theory. my question is how do i know what key a song is in? lets say i have a note progression the goes B, G , D, E on the bass, can i tell what key the song is in simply off of that or is it all dependant on the guitar is doing as well? is there a simple trick to telling this?

[dhadleyray]

Those notes spell a G major triad with a sixth. If you know the notes in your chords you kinda know where the key center is. A simplified explanation, but it's not difficult... You'll get it, I'm sure!

[jnprather]

How do I tell what key i'm in?

Ask the keyboard player!

*BA DUM TSS*

[Ed Fuqua]

It depends on what you're playing. Pop stuff, singer/songwriter stuff, Bulgarian DeathPolka - alla that (and so much more) is kinda dependant on the "harmonic vocabulary" of whoever is writing the song. And if the only chords they know are Dm6, Abmaj and Gmaj7 (oh and B7b9#9b13), then they write a song around that harmony.

Sort of the thing to look for is -where does the song or the harmony try to go? Where does it feel "at rest"? Most functional harmony tends to feel most "at home" with the tonic chord, which generally is the key signature.

Your note progression doesn't really tell us anything. As DBay said, it does spell a major sixth chord in third inversion or a minor 7th chord in second inversion. But that's only one way to look at it. Those notes would work over a progression that went
Gmaj D7 E-7
or
B- E- B- E-
or
B-7b5 Cmaj D- E-

There's just no way to tell without hearing what else is going on.

If you're trying to find out what chords will work, pretty much anything you can HEAR will work. You just got to figure out what you are hearing . And then play that.

[mindflow]

thanks for the help

[dhadleyray]

A much better explanation than mine!

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by jnprather

Ask the keyboard player!

*BA DUM TSS*

*ZING

[Hookus]

And remember just because you are plaing over a G maj chord for example, really tells you nothing about what key you are in. It could be any key that contains a G.

The chord progression, not the note progression on the bass will clue you to the key. Playing in key, and playing over a chord are two different things. You need to select the appropriate scale and mode based on the chord, and the chord will be selected from the key.

[Bethelbass1]

usually the "Home" Ed Fuqua mentioned is the last chord of the song (though not always).

[djcruse]

Originally Posted by dhadleyray

Those notes spell a G major triad with a sixth.

How about E minor 7?

[steveksux]

Depends if those are major, minor, or dim chords too. That could be in the key of C, D, Em, and on and on. I don't know how to explain it, but a C functioning as a tonic in key of C sounds different than a C functioning as a subdominant (IV) in a song. You hear the difference in the chord progression around it, where it goes from the C, where it came from to get to C, etc.

Randy

[westland]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Bulgarian DeathPolka

First time I'd heard that one

[malthumb]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Bulgarian DeathPolka

Originally Posted by westland

First time I'd heard that one

That's because no one has ever played it and lived to tell about it.

[Hookus]

Originally Posted by steveksux

Depends if those are major, minor, or dim chords too. That could be in the key of C, D, Em, and on and on. I don't know how to explain it, but a C functioning as a tonic in key of C sounds different than a C functioning as a subdominant (IV) in a song. You hear the difference in the chord progression around it, where it goes from the C, where it came from to get to C, etc.

Randy

This exactly demonstrates my point. The notes you are playing on bass do not signifya key themselves, you must look at the entire chord progression.

[Mohawk Freak]

To make matters worse, the key that you are playing in may not even be represented by a chord in the progression.

For example, if you have a two chord vamp using Fmaj7 and G7 (Fmaj and Gdom7) then the key would actualy be Cmaj because those chords are harmonised from the 4th and5th degrees of the parent Cmaj scale. This would also apply to the major triads too: F and G (There's a song that illustrates th'is perfectly, I think it's the Beatles' "Love Me Do". It's a 4, 5 progression but I think in G not C)

To make matters worse, something you think is an obvious key may not be at all. For example a 12 bar blues is generally though of as a 1, 4, 5 progression. Now you can play over it as a 1, 4, 5 but if you play the 7th extension of the chords (for example in the key of G: Gmaj7, Cmaj7 and D7) then the last chord sounds BAD in that context! You'll discover that the progression really sounds better using ALL maj7 chords rather than using the dominant 7 chord last. This effectively makes it a 1, 1, 1 progression with the key changing from G to C to D.

Arse!!!

[Hookus]

Well, sort of.

Think about it this way, worry less about the key, and more about the chords you are playing over. Play the Mixolydian over 7th chords, for example, or Aeolian over minor chords.

[ryco]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

You just got to figure out what you are hearing . And then play that.

...or look at the dang key signature

[Ed Fuqua]

Originally Posted by ryco

...or look at the dang key signature

Well, no. If I'm hearing a D7 and the key signature is no sharps and no flats, just looking at "the dang key signature" ain't gonna tell you ****.

[ryco]

"That was a joke, son." Sorry Ed. I'm in total agreement with your answer as posted in msg #4, sir.

Maybe I should :shudder shudder: start using smilies.

Although accidentals can be a good tip as to what key or direction a piece is heading. Like you said - use your ears and it'll come together.

[bannedwit]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

(oh and B7b9#9b13), then they write a song around that harmony.

They dont mess around in Bulgerian Death Polka do they?

Anyways, dont forget that songs change keys sometimes. I was always lucky enough to join bands which change keys all the time during a song. I hate it!

Anyways, maybe try playing along with the guitar players chords. Start with paper and disect the chords and see what notes are being used and stuff like that. I usually start off making basslines by playing the root for the first couple days we are making the song unless they make a song around a bass line I wrote . I wait for the drummer to get a set pattern or work with him to jam something out and get the chords from our keys player and guitarist. I go home and do my research and bring it to practice the next day. From there, more complex bassliens are created.

It takes years to be able to do this by ears alone! I sure as hell cant.

Don't forget that if you play a stale note that just sounds yucky then the right one is just a half step away. hehe. Trial and error.