![]() ![]() To use this formula, start at the note named after the key of the song. Songs in major keys use a major scale formula, which is: 2-2-1-2-2-2-1. If you know the formula, you can find the piano scales you need, every time. To make this easier, you’ll never have to memorize which seven notes belong in which song, because those seven notes – the scale – are derived from a formula. So while there are exceptions, and room to branch out creatively, narrowing down what to play is going to benefit you so much – especially as you just start to work on a new song. Think about it: the more you limit the number of notes for a song, the more you can be sure which notes you should play. Like I said, knowing the key of a song helps you figure out what seven notes are best for that song. But that’s usually not necessary, so let’s move on. If the beginning and end chords don’t match, or you’re still not sure, you can also find the key of the song by looking at the other chords in the song, figuring out what notes are in them, and working your way backward to find the piano scale. (Note: Most of the time you will not need to do this step.) That will also tell you what key it’s in for sure. Working your way backward, you can figure out what notes are in the scale for that song. If you’re still not sure, take a look at the other chords in the song. If it starts with a dog barking and ends with a dog barking… maybe you should check on your dog. Songs that start and end with A# are in the key of A#. The key of this song is… you guessed it, C-major!Ī song that starts and ends on D-minor is in the key of D-minor. So if a song starts with a C-major chord, check the ending. ![]() In nearly every song you can think of the first and last chord (usually the “home” chord – more about that later) names the key. It’s really almost too easy to find the key of a song. □ How to Find the Key of (Almost) Any Song? The important thing is to learn how to use this information to your advantage when you’re actually playing. The examples don’t really matter: if you understand the concept then you could do this for any song. “Wonderwall” by Oasis is in the key of F#m.“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen is in the key of B♭m.“Imagine” by John Lennon is in the key of C.That’s what people who do know piano scales and understand the keys of songs are talking about when they mention that: “Home” aka the chord that naturally makes the most sense to return to at the end of the song (and maybe even within each song section).What chords are most likely to be in that song.What 7 notes are best for that song (this is also called a “scale”).You may or may not know this, but every song you’ve ever heard is in a “key.” Have you ever heard someone talk about what key a song is in?įor any song, knowing the key of the song will tell us three important pieces of information: The point is, do you know how to handle piano scales and keys in real life? Because in my experience, a whole lot of former piano students actually freeze up or try to fake their way through when it comes to piano scales and keys. Or maybe you call the police because there’s a stranger in your house. Would you (a) freak out because you don’t know what I’m talking about, (b) make something up and hope I wouldn’t notice the difference, (c) calmly play along because you’ve already learned this stuff, and you know that what I’m talking about is just basic music theory, piano scales and keys. What if I walked up to you at your piano one day… and told you to play in the key of A, and to make sure you use a VI, V, IV, I progression on the bridge. ![]()
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