"Sensing" the key of the song

[Greg Vincent]

Hi folks,

What is the process by which we “sense” the key of a song? For as long as I can remember, I’ve been able to hum the tonic note of almost any song I’ve been listening to. But I don’t really know HOW I do that. Am I just “sensing” where the melody / harmony is in relation to a diatonic scale pattern?

Since I don’t remember ever having to "learn" how to find the key of a song, how would I explain the process to someone who needs to learn this skill?

-GV

[Billy Tonnesen]

You probably have what is sometimes called "Perfect Pitch". I think this is something you're born with rather than learned. Not too many Musicians have this.

[Greg Vincent]

Me with perfect pitch? Not at all, Billy! Perfect pitch is being able to hum or identify a given note out of thin air.

I'm just talking about being able to hear the key of a song while it's playing. I can usually do that, but I don't necessarily know the name of that key until I grab an instrument.

[Ford Cole]

Tonal memory from lots of listening/ear training???

[Skip Edwards]

Sounds to me like you've trained your ear enough to be able to pick out the 1 chord from the 4 & 5 chord, or the other chords in a tune.
Relative pitch... a much more useful skill than perfect pitch. The handful of folks that I know with perfect pitch say it's more of a curse than a blessing...

[Chip Fossa]

I simply get the melody in my head, and figure what the 1 chord oughtah be, in any given key.

The "key" is actually earelephant. A song can be played in any key, right?

But if you insist on playing "said" song in the key that you are listening too, well then, I need an instrument (guitar), too; to find out what key they're playing in. I don't know any other way around it.

Like with a 6 string guitar, just pick the 6th string as the song is playing; start "open" and move on up the neck until you think the 6th string note matches the 1 chord. You might have to do this on the 5th string as well, to find that 1 chord. If you find it on the 6th string, then try to capo and finger in G. If you find the note [1 chord] on the 2nd string, than capo and finger in C.

This is the only way I know how to figure the key. The progression is the important thing; not the key. Get the progression down, and then you can transpose to any key.

Hope this helps ya.

[Greg Vincent]

Relative pitch... a much more useful skill than perfect pitch

Agreed. Perfect pitch seems more like a parlor trick to me. Relative pitch, however, is VITAL for musicians.

Like with a 6 string guitar, just pick the 6th string as the song is playing; start "open" and move on up the neck until you think the 6th string note matches the 1 chord.

Understood, Chip. What I'm asking about is how do I explain to someone how they will KNOW when the note matches the tonic of the root chord. I can always "feel" that I'm at the tonic, but how do I teach someone to recognize that "feeling"?

[Joachim Kettner]

Maybe it is a little simple, but doesn't a tune finish to 90% on the tonic, even if it starts somewhere else?

[Owen Barnes]

I TOTALLY agree with Chip's assesment. That's the way I've been doing it for years. Go up that string (any string if you know your scales), until you find the one that "rhymes" and you're there!

[Chip Fossa]

Greg, I'm a little confused.

"know when the note matches the tonic of the root chord" - not sure what you mean by this.

By tonic note are you referring to the first note of the 1 chord? That note would be the same note as the key itself, or 1 chord.

Anyway, I don't know how you would teach this to someone. Maybe have them hum the melody. Start off with simple songs everyone knows: Mary Had A Little Lamb, London Bridge Is Falling Down, Three Blind Mice etc.
When they come around with a verse, stop them and tell them to just hum the FIRST note of the next verse without moving on through the
verse. That note would be the key.

I don't know if this is helping. I guess I don't quite understand your question.

Once again, once the key note is found, you still need an instrument to find out what the name of the key is.

Sometimes I can guess when a song is in D. D just has this sound to it. Hard to explain; but I can sense sometimes when a song is being fingered in D on the guitar.

[Greg Vincent]

Well I guess I'm not phrasing the question very well.

How about this:

While I'm listening to a song, I usually can find the tonic (root note of the 1 chord) and hum it to myself, no matter what chord the song happens to be in at the moment. But I don't really understand how I do that. How does my brain sense what that tonic note is? I just do it. How would I explain this process to a student?

-GV

[Mike Neer]

Listen to bass notes. Most of the time the root is played. Sometimes the bassist plays a different chord tone, especially the 3rd or 5th, and many times the bass is moving in a scale-wise or chromatic way to the next chord, but usually all roads lead to the root of the chord.

[Rick Campbell]

Greg,

I get what you're saying. I believe you just have a musical mind and a good ear. Still finding out what the "1" chord is might require an instrument for reference.

FWIW: With fiddle or mandolin it's often possible to tell what key a song is in just by the licks the player is using. Some licks are just G licks, or F licks, etc...

[Chip Fossa]

OK, I get it now, I think.

As Rick mentioned, you just have a musical ear.

If someone else can not carry a tune, then there is the first problem. It's either you know the song or don't; but maybe with singing, humming along will be able to get the melody down.

Knowing some basic music theory (Circle of Fifths and basic chords relative to all keys) would be a start and most advantageous to the 'student' or 'learnee'.

[John De Maille]

It's mostly a genetic "gift" to do that. You are gifted with that skill.
e.g.- Some sought of music is played in my house, all the time. One day, my 8 yr old son was in the backyard humming a tune that was on the radio several minutes before. I certainly didn't teach him that tune. He heard it and emulated it, himself, just like I've been doing all my life. It's a musical gift to be thankfull for. I think you'd have to ask a neurologist or a brain surgeon for the reason why. Be happy you have it.

[Mike Perlowin RIP]

I can sometimes tell what key a record is in by listening to the guitar chords. Different chords have different characteristics. A D chord doesn't sound like an E. The notes line up different, and a player will pay something that corresponds to the that. That's why a lot of blues players like E and A, but not so much C.

[Mike Perlowin RIP]

Knowing some basic music theory (Circle of Fifths and basic chords relative to all keys) would be a start and most advantageous to the 'student' or 'learnee'.

Knowing basic music theory is advantageous to ALL musicians.

A quick reminder: I wrote a book on the subject, and a supplement for the steel explaining how the concepts in the book relate to the E9 pedal changes, with examples in the book tabbed out. I will send a free PDF file of the supplement to anybody who requests it.

Here's a link to the book, which can be purchased at any store that sells Mel Bay Publications.

http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?Produ ... Compositio

[Mark van Allen]

Chip, with all respect, your example of teaching someone to sing the melody of a nursery rhyme might cloud the issue of finding the "key" of the song- as the melody of those three examples you mentioned all start on the third of the chord, and not the root. So using the first melody note of any of those would result in a person thinking the "key" was B when they were actually in G, for example. However, the last note of the melody for each of those three songs does end up on the 1 or root of the key.

I've struggled for years trying to find a good methodology for teaching students to "hear" key, as it's vital for improvising or any kind of stage playing. For many people, gradually introducing various chord progressions and having them sing or play the root chord they hear as the progression moves along works for many, but not all.
Playing the 1, 4, 5, then hearing the 1 as "home base", then moving to 2m, 3m, 4, and hearing the one, 2m, 5 and hearing the one, etc.
Most people can develop, or perhaps refine the acuity for this, but some just don't seem to be able to.

[Chip Fossa]

Mark, I was only trying to make this process SIMPLE. I guess you are right about those "nursery rhymes" not starting off on the root.

I'm just throwing stuff out. I just played TBM in the key of C and the melody starts on E.

This is gettin' good. A lot more complicated, huh? I'm finding that out.

And Mike P., thanks for reminding me that ALL musicians should have basic music skills. I still refer to your great book, BTW.

[Mike Perlowin RIP]

Thanks Chip. I'm glad you find the book helpful.

I believe that nursery rhymes and children's songs we all know are great for learning intervals. If you ask people to sing a descending perfect 4th, chances are 99% of them won't know what you're talking about, but everybody knows "I've Been Working On The Railroad." Well, the first 2 notes of that song are a descending perfect 4th. Everybody knows what the song, and the interval sounds like. They just can't identify that sound as the interval.

Some other examples: The first two notes of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" are an ascending perfect 5th, and the first 2 notes of "My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean" are and ascending major 6th. "Greensleeves" is an ascending minor 3rd, and "Here Comes the Bride" is an ascending perfect 4th.

These are just a few examples. There are lots of others.

[David Mason]

I kinda think this is one of those fundamental things that just happens over time, and you (surely?) ought to get better at it. I always start my guitar students with nursery rhymes and Christmas carols - it's amazing how many aspiring shred-bunnies simply can't pick a song out of their head!

"Do you know "Mary Had a Little Lamb?"
"Sure..."
"O.K., play it."
"Where's the tab?!?" and/or, "I don't ever want to play that lame-ass crap..."

If you've been playing for five years for hours a day and you still can't hear the root and the key, maybe you need a more stable hobby like woodworking, where the craft projects don't warp & wiggle around ever time you mess with them.

(mebbe I should start them with "Giant Steps" and attract a better class of students....)

[Bill McCloskey]

The key of a song is signified by a harmonic progression. If we are dealing with relatively simple songs that do not shift keys every few bars, it is pretty simple to find the tonic. As Mike pointed out, listening to the bass player is the quickest way, since he is outlining the harmonic progression and chord changes. You certainly don't need perfect pitch. Anyone can and does do it, if you've played music.

Difficulty comes in with more complicated harmonic progressions that you would find in jazz. Once the tone center starts moving, it becomes much more difficult to know where you are without the chart or knowing the changes. In other words: a simple thing to do in folk, blues, rock, and country. A difficult thing to do in jazz.

[Bill Hatcher]

Listen to bass notes.

thats it!

[John McClung]

Hey Greg, how's life?

In recent workshops I pointed out to students the following:

As stated by others, songs almost always end on the root. So do choruses.

A good way to suss out which chords are 1-4-5 is to note how close each chord in a song is to each other. If a student can sense a big or little jump between chords in a progression, then chances are that recurring small jump, whether ascending or descending is between the 4 and 5. Gaps between 1 and 4, and 4 and 1, and 1 to 5, are all much bigger.

Good question, and one I've spent time mulling over looking for simple, helpful answers for my teaching needs!

[Skip Edwards]

When someone's asked me how do they go about training their ear to hear the numbers, I've suggested they take a dozen or so simple country tunes that they know well - Hank Williams or Merle Haggard or whomever - and write out some number charts. Then sit down and read the chart and play the tune in all the keys.

Seems to help...at least it's a good start.