Welcome to another edition of “What Key Am I In?”

If you haven’t seen my past ones, click here to check them out.

Ok… here we go:

What major key am I in if I have these chords:

A# minor
D# minor
E# minor

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Answer:

C# major

Explanation:

Remember this chart from other posts?

There’s only one key that has A#, D# and E# as minor chords… and that key is C#!

Let’s take a look at the C# major scale:

C# D# E# F# G# A# B# C#

It’s the only scale with 7 sharps! Literally every tone of the scale is a sharp.

Now, if we apply the rules from above, we’ll be able to figure out which tones are minor:

C# - major chord
D# - minor chord
E# - minor chord
F# - major chord
G# - major chord
A# - minor chord
B# - diminished chord

So if you got this one right, pat yourself on the back! :)

(I have a confession to make. I was really trying to stump you on this one with the use of C#. Normally this scale would be Db, which only has 5 flats and doesn’t use any of these crazy E# or B# enharmonic notes. But my point is… even when you’re in C#, the rules stay the same. You just gotta think in terms of sharps and some notes you’re used to calling “F” and “C” will be called “E#” and “B#,” respectively. Congrats if this was a piece of cake. It’s means you’re getting it!)

Until next time —

Popularity: 12% [?]

Welcome back! It looks like you're a regular! Thanks for your support and keep coming! (Getting updates yet?)

Welcome to another edition of “What Key Am I In?”

If you haven’t seen my past ones, click here to check out game #1, or here for game #2. (It’ll really help, especially if you feel lost below).

Since yesterday’s post was about minor keys, I want to keep it going by asking you, “What Minor Key Am I In?”

In my minor key, I have these chords:

Ab major 7
Bb minor 7
Db major 7

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Answer:

F minor

Explanation:

Remember that F is the relative minor of Ab major and they share the same exact key signature, notes in their scale, and chords that correspond to their scale tones.

If you think in terms of the relative major keys, it’s a lot easier because you’ll probably be more familiar with them.

So basically, ask yourself “what major key has an Abmaj7, Bbmin7, and Dbmaj7?” There’s only one and it’s Ab major.

Then, from there, you just figure out the relative minor of Ab.

That gives you F minor!

Any questions? Post em below…

Until next time!

Popularity: 11% [?]

This is the first episode of a series of posts that I’ll do from time to time called “What Key Am I In?”

Basically, I give you chords and you tell me the major key they’re from.

Here’s a list to help you out:

The first degree of a scale is associated with the major seventh chord.

The second degree of a scale is associated with the minor seventh chord.

The third degree of a scale is associated with the minor seventh chord.

The fourth degree of a scale is associated with the major seventh chord.

The fifth degree of a scale is associated with the dominant seventh chord.

The sixth degree of a scale is associated with the minor seventh chord.

The seventh degree of a scale is associated with the half-diminished seventh chord.

Recap:

The 1st and 4th degrees are major seventh chords.

The 2nd, 3rd, and 6th degrees are minor seventh chords.

The 5th degree is a dominant seventh chord.

The 7th degree is a half-diminished seventh chord.

So what key am I in?

• I have an “A minor 7″ chord.
• I have an “E minor 7″ chord.
• I have a “G major 7″ chord.

(scroll down for answer but don’t peak until you think you’ve got one!)

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Answer: G major

Explanation: Since minor seventh chords are found on the 2nd, 3rd, and 6th tones, I used the process of elimination to rule out keys that didn’t have “A” or “E” as their 2nd, 3rd, or 6th tone.

This left me with the key of C major and G major.

C major has an E minor seventh as its 3rd chord and an A minor seventh as its 6th chord.

G major has an E minor seventh as its 6th chord and an A minor seventh as its 3rd chord (sort of like the opposite of C).

The chord that gives it away is the “G major seventh chord.”

C major doesn’t have a G major seventh chord… only a G dominant seventh chord.

So it was this one little nuance that gave it away.

G major takes this round of “What Key Am I In!”

Until next time,
JG

Popularity: 19% [?]