playing in a key?

nick_D01 · 2011-10-20T16:22:04+00:00

hey everyone ? i was busy with my music theory notes just now, and i thought i'd pose this question on the forum: what does playin in a key mean? i know if you're playing a melody or single note passage then playing in a key means you find out/look at the key signature for a key and ensure you play the indicated notes sharp or flat. but what about harmonically/when playing chords? imagine you're at band practice and you're about to launch into the first song, and you announce that its in the key of 'A', and the other guitarist asks what does that mean, what would you explain to him/her? (and if you've ever been at band practice and the drummer asks what key you're in maybe its time to look for a new band, lol.)

Arno-West

sharonzaz wrote
Arno West wrote
sharonzaz wrote
Sweet Home Alabama starts on D then to C and to G. So the key is actually G
nope its D ?
Try solo in D over that (it will sound crap), the solo is in Em, which is the relative minor of G, which means key of song is G.

The progression might be D....C....G, but the key is G.

nope its D and the relative minor is Bm.
trust me.
?
(pls dont make me make a recording to back it up, im busy as it is)

Ok, I await the recording then.

Dingwall

nope its D and the relative minor is Bm.
trust me.
?
(pls dont make me make a recording to back it up, im busy as it is)
[/quote]

Sharonzaz - I am still not sure if you are winding us up or really do think that D C G are in the key of D. If you do think this and are backing this up because you use the Bmin (or D maj) pentatonic scale (and it works!) then consider the notes of the Bmin Pent scale ---> B D E F# A and then the notes of the G Maj scale ------> G A B C D E F#. The notes are all there...

(but there is an argument with modal playing to make sure you do still tackle it from a 'D' angle as 'just' knowing it is G major can sometimes not be enough to make you sound musical, I find that in my playing anyway)

domhatch

hmm. it makes sense to my little mind that it's in G too. the chords (triads) in the key of G Major would be G, Am, Bm, C, D, Em, and F#dim (sort of). somewhere in the song there's an F chord, having looked it up last night, there seems to be consensus on the net on that - which makes it undeniable fact, of course. ? so it follows, to my mind, that the song is most likely in G, and you would more than likely be able to solo over most of it using an Em penatonic or a Gmaj pentatonic. when you get to that F chord, you'd need to do some fiddling, though.

i'm assuming sharonzaz is that one guy in Arno's crowd who shows up and picks up the first chord as the key of the song. is you having us on sharonzaz?

yes?
dh

Koning

"The guitar solo in the song is actually played in the wrong key. Producer Al Kooper noticed that Ed King played the solo in the key of G instead of D, the first chord in the progression. He was so vexed that he took to tune to California, and played it for his guitarist friend Michael Bloomfield. In fact, the song is in G, and King himself rips the exuberant, melodic blues lines in the E minor pentatonic Blues scale, which in the song functions as the G pentatonic scale. (from Guitar Edge magazine - July/August 2006)"

vic

"Alabama" is in the key of G irrespective of whether the solo is played in D or G...the progression D-C-G brings one back to the route chord G...the song "rests" in G. (there's a lot of debate on this matter out there...do a Google)

In which key is "House of the rising sun" ?

Arno-West

Vic wrote
In which key is "House of the rising sun" ?

It's C, but if somebody wants to jam it with you, you better say Am cos that's the starting chord.

Bob-Dubery

Vic wrote "Alabama" is in the key of G irrespective of whether the solo is played in D or G...the progression D-C-G brings one back to the route chord G...the song "rests" in G. (there's a lot of debate on this matter out there...do a Google)

In which key is "House of the rising sun" ?

Whatever key I can actually sing it in. I keep a capo handy.

Squonk

X-rated Bob wrote
Vic wrote "Alabama" is in the key of G irrespective of whether the solo is played in D or G...the progression D-C-G brings one back to the route chord G...the song "rests" in G. (there's a lot of debate on this matter out there...do a Google)

In which key is "House of the rising sun" ?
Whatever key I can actually sing it in. I keep a capo handy.

Can't imagine XRB playing "House of the Rising Sun" ? maybe a indie folk version with a Bulgarian Polka between the one of the monotonous verses.

I can remember while I was doing military service at 4SAI, all the local churches used to put on these huge spreads of food to entice us to join their congregation. I think the Anglicans were the winners, and I remember hearing a Hymn that sounded like the "House of the Rising Sun". I think it was "There is a Green Hill far away"

vic

Am.........again some debate out there

Another interesting example in which theory does not really give a direct or explicit explanation...that's why I asked the question. We all know the chord progression Am-C-D-F-Am-C-E....however this progression always brings you back to Am in which the song "rests"

Something here

http://www.guitarnoise.com/help/music-theory/

....." is an incredibly interesting song because it flits between all three of the minor scales (natural, harmonic and melodic), never staying in one scale for long. However, it is always in A minor" .....

Arno-West

Thx Vic, never too old to learn hey? Hey Squonk, what year were you at 4 SAI? I was there in '91 and '92. Kak place.

Squonk

Arno West wrote Thx Vic, never too old to learn hey? Hey Squonk, what year were you at 4 SAI? I was there in '91 and '92. Kak place.

@ Arno was not too friendly in 1981 either.

sharonzaz

i'm assuming sharonzaz is that one guy in Arno's crowd who shows up and picks up the first chord as the key of the song. is you having us on sharonzaz?

Is that supposed to be some kind of a smarta$$ reply to get my ego to respond back?
>☹ grow up dude.
how easy it is to make assumptions about someone you do not know.

if you'd bothered to look at my website, you'd see that
not only I dont need to go and perv over the likes of Arno, but I also
am way too busy to do so in my own music career.
(and that was my nice reply)
(no dissing towards Arno BTW)

Arno-West

(and that was my nice reply)
(no dissing towards Arno BTW)

No sweat. No offence taken, but I do think his comment was meant to be a taken bit tongue in cheek. There's no point in getting offended on this forum, nobody really gives a sh*t anyway, so why bother? Trust me, I've been down that road...

sharonzaz

Wasn't offended bro, just annoyed at the pointless silly
Remark. Send regards to Leon from me (sheron).

Arno-West

sharonzaz wrote Wasn't offended bro, just annoyed at the pointless silly
Remark. Send regards to Leon from me (sheron).

Cool. Will do. BTW did you come right with the coastal gigs over December?

Arno-West

sharonzaz wrote Wasn't offended bro, just annoyed at the pointless silly
Remark. Send regards to Leon from me (sheron).

Cool. Will do. BTW did you come right with the coastal gigs over December?

sharonzaz

No, we had to skip a few chapters in our drive as the car we just got for my wife
started giving problems.

we will try again next time ?

that car was given back, and we got her another, this time a good one.

* I really want to prove my point ? but am really busy charting and learning
all these songs for a theater show thats starting this week
and we are way behind.
(it only looks like im sitting at the mac all day staring at forums but in fact im not hehe)

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