Music key

Posted in Category Open Discussion
  • D
    Darick Mendes 2 years ago

    good day, is there a way to figure out the key a singer sings in a specific song by hearing? 

  • C
    Camille van Niekerk 2 years ago

    Great question! Many times, the last pitch of the melody will be the tonic (or the "home base" pitch), which is also the name of the key. If I sing "Happy birthday" and land on a C, I'm in the key of C. 

    However, this isn't always the case! Ask yourself: which pitch would need to be sung or played for this song to feel absolutely complete, settled or resolved?

    Another good check is: look up the chords on https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/ (the key is usually listed, though it can get a little confusing if it's usually played with a capo, since you may be playing chords in the key of G with capo 3, which will then put you in Bb). https://www.karaoke-version.com/ also has the keys of many popular songs listed!

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