Teleclass #5: “Pro Ear-Training: How to find the major
key of any song!”

Skill level: Intermediate

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Video Recordings (over 1.5 hours!!!!):
Unedited overhead and front-view during "live" teleclass

Introduction:

The goal of session #5 is to give you various
techniques and “tricks” to find the key center (aka – ‘tonic’) of any major
key.

1. Understanding scale degrees (pg 109-110)

1. Tonic (I): The keynote of a scale is called
   the TONIC. It is the lowest and highest tone of the scale. Since the
   tonic is the 1^st degree, it is given the Roman numeral I. In
   C major, this is the note “C”. It’s the root… the key of a song.

2. Dominant (V) and Subdominant (IV): The tone
   a 5^th above the tonic is called the dominant (in the key of
   C, this is the note “G”). Since it is the 5^th scale degree,
   it is given the Roman numeral V.

The tone a 5^th
below the tonic is called the subdominant. Since the subdominant is the 5^th
scale degree, it is given the Roman numeral IV. In C major, F is the
subdominant note or chord. The prefix “sub” means under or below.

This is why the circle of
fifths really moves in fifths (both clockwise and counterclockwise). Example
– G is a fifth up from C but F is a fifth down from C.

3. Mediant (III) and Submediant (VI): The 3^rd
   degree above the tonic (actually, midway between the tonic and the
   dominant) is called the mediant (a Latin word meaning “in the middle”).
   Since the mediant is the 3^rd scale degree, it is given the
   Roman numeral III. In C major, E is the mediant note or chord.

The tone a 3^rd
degree below the tonic (midway between the tonic and the subdominant) is the
called the submediant. Since the Submediant is the 6^th scale
degree, it is given the Roman numeral VI. In C major, A is the Submediant
note or chord.

4. Supertonic (II) and Leading Tone (VII): 
   The tone a 2^nd degree above the tonic is called the
   supertonic. Since the supertonic is the 2^nd scale degree, it
   is given the Roman numeral II. In C major, D is the supertonic note or
   chord. The prefix “super” means over or above.

The tone a 2^nd
degree below the tonic is called the leading tone – sometimes called the
subtonic. The leading tone is often used since the note has a strong
tendency to lead to the tonic, as it does in an ascending scale. Since the
leading tone is the 7^th scale degree, it is given the Roman
numeral VII. In C major, B is the leading tone or chord.

2. What does this have to do with finding the key of
   a song?

1. The tonic establishes the key center (the major
   key) a song is being played in.

                                                              i.     
Most commonly begins a song (but not always)

                                                            ii.     
Most commonly ends a song (but not always —
there’s always exceptions like a song ending on the Submediant major chord).

2. The challenge is to find the tonic of the song
   (the 1-chord)

                                                              i.     
Techniques to finding the tonic:

1.     
There are twelve major keys on the piano

2.     
Therefore, when one aims to find the major key of
a song by ear, there are 12 possibilities (1/12 possibility that
you’ll hit the right tonic note the first try).

3.     
Relying on the genre of the music, this may help
to narrow some of the possibilities

a.     
Example: Lots of contemporary gospel songs are
played in flat keys (Db / Eb / Gb / Ab / Bb). You may go for these keys
first.

b.     
Lots of blues is played in C / F / Bb / G

c.      
Lots of guitar-led songs are played in E / A / D
/ G

d.     
…so there are ways to hint at certain keys
depending on the style and genre but there isn’t a SET RULE for this.

4.     
“Middle C” technique: Start at middle C and move
chromatically up the keyboard until you hear the tonic note of the song (the
“root” sound). More on this later.

3. Analyzing a song to figure out the tonic chord.

1. There are seven chords associated with the major
   scale

                                                               i.     
1 Major (C major)

                                                             ii.     
2 Minor (D minor)

                                                            iii.     
3 Minor (E minor)

                                                           iv.     
4 Major (F major)

                                                             v.     
5 Dominant (G major or G7)

                                                           vi.     
6 Minor (A minor)

                                                          vii.     
7 diminished (B diminished)

2. EXAMPLE 1: “If I’ve been able to hear an E minor
   chord in a song, this should provide some hints to what major key I’m
   in.”

                                                               i.     
If I hear an E minor chord, and I know that usually
the second, third, and sixth chords of a key are minor, I have to ask
myself:

1.     
“E minor is the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 6^th
of what keys?”

ANSWERS:

a.      
E minor is the 2^nd chord of the D major
scale (so the tonic “COULD” be D)

b.     
E minor is the 3^rd chord of the C major
scale (so the tonic “COULD” be C)

c.      
E minor is the 6^th chord of the G major
scale (so the tonic “COULD” be G)

3. EXAMPLE 2: “If I hear a C major chord in a song,
   and I know that usually the first, fourth, and fifth chords are
   major” (and the fifth is really dominant when you add a fourth note),
   this should also provide some hints to what major key I’m in.

                                                               i.     
Ask these questions:

1.     
“C major is the 1^st, 4^th, and 5^th
of what keys?”

a.      
C major is the 1^st chord (or tonic) of the
C major scale (so there is a strong possibility that the C major chord you
hear is the TONIC and therefore the key of the song… especially if it is the
starting chord or ending chord of a song).

b.     
“C major is the 4^thchord of the G major
scale (so the tonic “COULD” be G)

c.      
“C major is the 5^th chord of the F major
scale (so the tonic “COULD” be F)

4. Summary

4. Relying totally on your ear (not much analysis…
   more listening).
   1. The “humming” technique

                                                               i.     
Hum the root of the song (aka – “the tonic, the
keynote”)

                                                             ii.     
Find the note you’re humming on the piano

1.     
Can start at C and work up

2.     
Can pick a random note

3.     
Can try to guess the note and work up or down from
there

                                                            iii.     
Confirm that it is the root with my “minor chord”
trick (read below first)

1.     
Common problems with humming the keynote/root

a.      
The biggest problem is that you’ll be inclined to hum
the “third” of the key or the “fifth” of the key as these are other tones of
the tonic major chord.

b.     
So you’ll think E is the tonic, when really C is the
tonic (E is the third of the C major scale).

c.      
Or you’ll think G is the tonic, when really C is the
tonic (G is the fifth of the C major scale). The first, third, and fifth
tones make up the tonic chord of a scale so this is understandable.

2.     
How to confirm that you are “truly” playing the tonic
with my “minor chord” trick.

a.      
If you think you have the tonic, think of it as the
highest note in a minor chord. So, if I think G is the tonic, then I need to
ask myself, “in what minor triad is G the highest note?”

b.     
In C minor (C Eb G), G is the highest note. So I’d
then hit the other notes of that minor chord to make sure those notes don’t
produce a BETTER sound than the G. Perhaps, one of those notes is the TRUE
tonic but I don’t know it until I press them to confirm.

                                                                                                                                      
i.     
For example, if I think G is the tonic, I’d hit Eb to
see if it works better. Then I’d hit C to make sure it isn’t the true tonic
as well.

c.      
What am I truly doing here?

                                                                                                                                      
i.     
I’m making sure that I’m not really humming the
“third” or “fifth” tone of the TRUE tonic. See, G happens to be the third of
Eb (so if I was mistakenly humming G, immediately playing Eb would give me
the true tonic). And also, G is the fifth of C so the same concept applies.

                                                                                                                                    
ii.     
Using this “minor chord” trick will assure that you
aren’t mistakenly humming the third or fifth when you SHOULD be humming the
first tone — tonic — root.

d.     
Summary:

                                                                                                                                      
i.     
How to test (again):

1.     
If I’ve arrived at C, use the minor chord in which C
is the highest note (in root position of course).

2.     
That minor chord would be: F minor (F Ab C). C is
highest note as I’ve mentioned above.

3.     
Test the other notes (Ab and F) to make sure that one
of them isn’t the true “root” or “tonic.” There can only be one true
tonic.

4.     
If they sound totally “off,” then perhaps your
original key is the TRUE tonic. This just helps you to confirm.

5.     
REMEMBER: Your ear is the final judge!