12th August 2010
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#1 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Jan 2008 Location: France
Posts: 200
Thread Starter  | Key in Pop songs
I'm looking for a site where i could find lists of Pop songs depending of their key.
Pop songs in key of "A", pop songs in key of "Dm" etc etc.
Do you know such a web site ?
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12th August 2010
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#2 | | Gear addict
Joined: Oct 2005 Location: Nashville, TN
Posts: 407
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You might try checking some karaoke sites. They may list the key of each song, and whether it's the original key.
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12th August 2010
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#3 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Aug 2003 Location: Southern Maryland
Posts: 219
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Dixiechicken4414  I'm looking for a site where i could find lists of Pop songs depending of their key.
Pop songs in key of "A", pop songs in key of "Dm" etc etc.
Do you know such a web site ? | That would be rather difficult to find, or maintain, since there are many versions of many songs (both key and rhythm). Sorry I am not much help, just stating a fact.
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12th August 2010
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#4 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 2,210
| Quote:
Originally Posted by DarbyOhara That would be rather difficult to find, or maintain, since there are many versions of many songs (both key and rhythm). Sorry I am not much help, just stating a fact. | +1
Also, what are your goals with this, you might get more useful advice.....??
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12th August 2010
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,600
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Dixiechicken4414 I'm looking for a site where i could find lists of Pop songs depending of their key.
Pop songs in key of "A", pop songs in key of "Dm" etc etc.
Do you know such a web site ? | The easiest way is to listen -- even if you don't play much (but do have an instrument).
The last note in the melody is likely to be the tonic.
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12th August 2010
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#6 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 2,210
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...........
Last edited by soundrick; 12th August 2010 at 11:38 PM..
Reason: nevermind,
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12th August 2010
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#7 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,600
| Quote:
Originally Posted by soundrick What if the melody doesn't resolve to the tonic? | Did you notice the modifier likely?
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12th August 2010
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#8 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Nov 2006 Location: Las Vegas, NV
Posts: 2,210
| Quote:
Originally Posted by author Did you notice the modifier likely? | yeah, I let it go.......
I've seen where these theory discussions go.........
Nowhere.
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12th August 2010
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#9 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 3,207
| Quote:
Originally Posted by author The easiest way is to listen -- even if you don't play much (but do have an instrument).
The last note in the melody is likely to be the tonic. | I find it's easier to listen to the bass, but that's just me...
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12th August 2010
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#10 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 2,600
| Quote:
Originally Posted by rcb4t2 I find it's easier to listen to the bass, but that's just me... | I wasn't sure if the OP were a musician, which is why I answered like I did.
If you're a musician, I guess you just listen to any part. Though bass is the last thing for me...  | |
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13th August 2010
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#11 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: New Orleans, LA
Posts: 3,207
| Quote:
Originally Posted by author I wasn't sure if the OP were a musician, which is why I answered like I did. | Me too... I have often found (and was taught) that listening to the bass can be an easy way to identify the key and / or changes, since the bass is usually hitting single notes and they're usually the root of the chord. Of course, the melody often follows the same guidelines, so that makes sense too! Quote:
Originally Posted by author If you're a musician, I guess you just listen to any part. Though bass is the last thing for me... | Whatever works.
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7th September 2010
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#12 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Jan 2008 Location: France
Posts: 200
Thread Starter |
Thanks to all for having answered.
Yes, i'm a musician.
Coming back from vacations, i don't remember why i launched this thread  ...
Hope i still can play my guitar though... | |
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7th September 2010
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#13 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,538
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The first note played in every song ever recorded is always the tonic.  | |
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7th September 2010
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#14 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,538
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seriously, though... who cares?
What is PROBABLY more important for you, if you want to cover those songs, is the range of your singer, and / or any conflicts with instruments like needing to be tuned down to do the same chord phrasing.
I'd start with that, and you will end up with the right key for YOU doing the song... which will sound better than your singer struggling and not managing to do the right key for the original artist.
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7th September 2010
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#15 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Jan 2008 Location: France
Posts: 200
Thread Starter |
yeah i already know all these tricks to find the root of a song etc.
I was simply asking if someone knew a site listing songs by key. Something like a Real book for Pop
Well it seems there aren't any.
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7th September 2010
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#16 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Long Beach, CA
Posts: 17,444
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This is not quite what the OP had in mind but CLAM Chordatea is an enormously interesting and potentially fairly useful little free, open sourced program that will analyze audio files (wav, mp3, etc, but not all formats) that you feed in and give you an ongoing readout of its analyses of the chords. It's not going to give you accurate readings of tricky jazz chords, by a stretch, but it will usually get you into the ballpark.
It's not a well-rounded commercial program but it's awful darn cute... ..::CLAM::.. C++ Library for Audio and Music | |
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7th September 2010
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#17 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 6,299
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I'll bet there's no one key that wins out in pop hits.
Tempo is another thing though.
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7th September 2010
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#18 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2005 Location: Basel, Switzerland
Posts: 3,201
| Quote:
Originally Posted by vernier I'll bet there's no one key that wins out in pop hits.(...) | E, A & D would be my top contenders when it comes to guitar-driven tunes.(Although Johnnie Johnson might disagree)
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"Recording exactly what a musician hears turns out to be a really big deal." Bob Olhsson
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"no room, no boom!" Michael Wagener
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7th September 2010
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#19 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,435
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The Rolling Stones love the key of A, which is well demonstrated by the "Some Girls" album.
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7th September 2010
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#20 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Canada
Posts: 213
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Dixiechicken4414 yeah i already know all these tricks to find the root of a song etc.
I was simply asking if someone knew a site listing songs by key. Something like a Real book for Pop
Well it seems there aren't any. | Just curious .... why do you want to know?
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8th September 2010
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#21 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,990
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If you Google "guitar" and "tabs" you'll find a bunch of sites with guitar chord charts for popular songs. They're usually throwing in a few wrong chords, but at least they'll start in the original key.
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8th September 2010
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#22 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2006 Location: Dallas
Posts: 1,041
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Try a "fake" book.
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8th September 2010
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#23 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Jan 2008 Location: France
Posts: 200
Thread Starter | Quote:
Originally Posted by Stu Gutz Just curious .... why do you want to know? | I was looking for songs to cover.
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8th September 2010
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#24 | | Gear addict
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 413
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you can cover any song you want find in what key you sing your best, if it`s not the song`s original one, transpose the chords and there you go. You don`t have to play covers in the same key they were recorded, play them in the key you give your best vocal performance.
Buy a capo. Really.
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26th March 2012
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#25 | | Gear interested
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 1
| Quote:
Originally Posted by DaVinci The first note played in every song ever recorded is always the tonic. | I rarely read such bullshit on the internet
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26th March 2012
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#26 | | Lives for gear
Joined: May 2005 Location: Basel, Switzerland
Posts: 3,201
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Originally Posted by Yoshimano I rarely read such bullshit on the internet | You don't get around the innerwebs much, do you?
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26th March 2012
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#27 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,684
| Quote:
Originally Posted by DaVinci The first note played in every song ever recorded is always the tonic. | Genius.
Except for Amazing Grace, Happy Birthday, Yesterday and a few billion other songs ...
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26th March 2012
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#28 | | Gear addict
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 313
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You know, if Yoshimano is going to call out everyone who speaks bullcrap on this forum, and he is only up to 8 Sep 2010, he is going to end up with a heck of a lot of posts.
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12th December 2012
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#29 | | Gear interested
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 1
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13th December 2012
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#30 | | Gear Head
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 33
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I like to usually play from sheet when I am bored and for pop songs a huge number is simply in C major, quite a lot are in G or D major (lot of pop-folkish type, irish type..) and some are in F major then bit few in A major.
The rest of keys is not very typical some totally untypical (unless you are freddy mercury) and for most amateurs also very hard to play so they get quickly transposed to playable key.
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