# Tips how to figure out the key of the piece?



## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

So do you have any tips how to figure out the key of the piece?
I have good relative pitch and often find that i am able to play the melody and get the intervals right really fast ( Mostly after first listen) but sometimes notice that its not the right key. So do you have any tips how to figure out the key of the piece more easily than just trying until i get it right?


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

Nope, not much you can do unless you can train absolute pitch or look at the sheet music. Just keep picking out notes until you find the first pitch.


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## Igneous01 (Jan 27, 2011)

Only thing I can really offer to you, is that, if you can recognize certain pitches (for example, you know the sound of C on the piano because you have good memory of Bach's C minor prelude) then by recognizing which pitches are played, and their degree in the music, you can to some extend have a good idea what the key may be. But this is really hypothetical, as I have not tried this myself. If theres a section in the music where the common tone in the harmony does not change, you might be able to work something out from that, if you recognize what pitch the common tone is.

Good luck


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## Lukecash12 (Sep 21, 2009)

Ummm... Learn the circle of fifths and read the music? And if it's an HIP performance of something that was composed for a tuning system other than equal temperament, then the keys will sound distinct enough that one wouldn't need perfect pitch to identify the key signature. Equal temperament kind of makes this a real problem. It used to be that the keys had their own unique intervals, some with flat or sharp thirds, for example.


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## jani (Jun 15, 2012)

I found this!!!
DDD

It works!
This guy is great!


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## cihanbarut (Nov 24, 2012)

Look at the ending notes (last 2 or 3) of the whole piece.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

You need to listen to a lot of music first. If you can't instantly hear what key it's in, then your ear is not good enough, or you haven't listened enough. This long, drawn-out method of deduction is for inexperienced people, or those with weak ears. _You must listen to a lot of music._


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