Finding out key of the song

Hi Bratan,

One great idea I heard was to put "Shave and a haircut" on the end of any tune. The last note will give you the final key.

Andy

you are kidding, right?

Actually it probably does work but because "shave and a hair cut two bits" starts and ends with the same note it's no different than using the last note of the song as a guide to the key. I know in popular music the majority of the time the last note is the key of the song. Also, if you know your cords, the last ending major cord is usually the nail in the coffin as to exposing the key.

Thanks! Ok so since it ends on G it should be in G key right? My MixMeister program thinks key is a Gm (yeah I know it's cheating). I tried it with Gm chord and it sounds like the right one. So from what I gather one way to find out a key:
1. Find last note
2. Check a chord variation (Major, minor etc.) that matches the most notes from the melody (in my case Gm has every note in the song - G A# D) (or just sounds good with it) and that would be a song's key (well in most cases)

Right?

another way is to use scales.
The notes you mentioned in the lead are the 1st 5 notes of gm scale.
I play mainly by ear and find keys by the scale.

Your program should be fairly acurate as well.

It's in B flat, but you're on the right track.

If you are really interested in dissecting songs, you should get a jump on your music theory studies. Pop songs are a good, as they are predictable and follow a relatively standard format, but, while it may be fun to play along with the melody, you're not really learning a whole lot about composition.

At any rate, keep at it and throw out your mixmeister program.

Bratan:

You were actually correct. The song "Hot" by Inna is, in fact, in g minor.


Sammy

A sure way to establish the key of a song is to know your scales and triads (chords). Although simple melodies may end on the key note, this is by no means reliable.

Some basic music theory in scales/intervals/triads will pay off big time and will help you intuitively establish the key by hearing a few bars of a tune.

Thanks!
I did some scales in the beginning, but never got back to them and forgotten by now
Gotta find my notes from few piano classes I took and do each scale until I memorize it...

You guys really perked my interest. So I went and actually found the song on you tube to listen and agree with Bratan's deduction that the last note of the song is G but the cord is GM which seems to be the key as others agreed. I looked at quite a few songs I have and the last cord was usually the key. However dbijoux feels it is B flat which is the relative major of G minor (and has the same key signature). Which is right and why?

[I edited this post after having listened to the song again. Here is my assessment of the entire discussion to this point.]

The first note that the lead singer sings is Bb. But that isn't the key of the song. The first note to any song might NOT be the same as the key. Think about these pop songs:

"Cum on feel the Noize" -- starts on a major third above the tonic
"Starry, Starry Night" -- starts on a perfect fourth below the tonic
"Open Arms" -- starts on a perfect fourht below the tonic
"Oh, Sherri" -- starts on a major third above the tonic (although it starts a fifth above the root note of the first chord in the song)

Remember -- the first chord and the first note do not always indicate the tonic, or tonal center, of every song! This is a pretty big deal if you plan to do a lot of playing by ear. I highly recommend that you do so, by the way, because it is a great way to learn about music and composition. (Remember also that in the above examples, I'm referring to the first note that starts off the song -- and not the opening to the chorus! Some of you might think, for instance, thaton Oh, Sherri, Steve Perry is singing the tonic -- but that isn't until the chorus. He starts the song by singing "I should've been gone..." and then a minor chord comes in under his voice... et cetera. You get the idea.)

Now, back to "Hot."

There are three basic chords in most of the song. These include g minor, F major, and c minor. I have only listened to the first minute, sporadic parts in the mid-section, and the very end so far; there may be a bridge that deviates a lot, but I doubt it. This is a cool song, but it is a dance / techno /electronica piece, and as such doesn't need to have wild key changes, modulations, or even a unique bridge.

Finally, the chords suggest that you can write the tune (on a staff) with a Bb and an Eb as the key signature -- meaning that it is g aolean (the relative minor of Bb).


Sammy