# How to know the scale of a song?



## Day

How to know the scale of a song? I mean, for example de scale: "E Major", and all the other ones


Can you give me any web or videos with sound (audio) of the different scale results please? to ear and difference by ear between each one scale please?


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## KenOC

The main difference between the various key signatures (at least in the same mode, major or minor) is that the music will be pitched higher or lower, depending. Otherwise it will sound the same, so long as it still "fits" the instruments used. It's usually difficult to tell the key signatures unless one has perfect pitch. I generally tell by looking at the CD cover!


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## Musicophile

Day said:


> How to know the scale of a song? I mean, for example de scale: "E Major", and all the other ones
> 
> Can you give me any web or videos with sound (audio) of the different scale results please? to ear and difference by ear between each one scale please?


With a piano (or any other instrument), you'd be looking for the "base" key that will form the main major (or minor) chord. Usually the song opens, or even more often closes on that particular chord (called the "tonic", and not referring to the Schweppes drink)


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## Day

Thank you very much!

I have to tune a voice-vox *of a singer with the plugin "autotune" in a DAW Mix program.

I have the music in one layer and the voice-vox in other layer.

Then I wonder, to tune the voice* ¿I must get the scale of onlye the voice? ¿or I must get the scale of the instruments layer? ¿Do you know if it is possible that a song has: one scale for the music (only music) and, another different scale for only the voice? Or always is the same scale the voice and the music?

For example ¿Has this song the same scale in the instrumental as in the voice? Or in this song the music (the instrumental) has one scale and the voice has another different scale?


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## Mahlerian

Day said:


> Thank you very much!
> 
> I have to tune a voice-vox *of a singer with the plugin "autotune" in a DAW Mix program.
> 
> I have the music in one layer and the voice-vox in other layer.
> 
> Then I wonder, to tune the voice* ¿I must get the scale of onlye the voice? ¿or I must get the scale of the instruments layer? ¿Do you know if it is possible that a song has: one scale for the music (only music) and, another different scale for only the voice? Or always is the same scale the voice and the music?
> 
> For example ¿Has this song the same scale in the instrumental as in the voice? Or in this song the music (the instrumental) has one scale and the voice has another different scale?


First, it's extremely rare in popular music for music to be in more than one key at once.

This song is in C# minor, so the key signature would be:










Any other notes outside of that will be added as "accidentals" (in this case, B# for the dominant chord).

Edit: I note that the Wikipedia page that image of the key signature comes from even lists this song. I wouldn't always trust their pages for indicating the correct key, though.


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## millionrainbows

Day said:


> Thank you very much!
> 
> I have to tune a voice-vox *of a singer with the plugin "autotune" in a DAW Mix program.
> 
> I have the music in one layer and the voice-vox in other layer.
> 
> Then I wonder, to tune the voice* ¿I must get the scale of onlye the voice? ¿or I must get the scale of the instruments layer? ¿Do you know if it is possible that a song has: one scale for the music (only music) and, another different scale for only the voice? Or always is the same scale the voice and the music?
> 
> For example ¿Has this song the same scale in the instrumental as in the voice? Or in this song the music (the instrumental) has one scale and the voice has another different scale?


Ha ha! This is about using an 'auto-tune' plug in to pitch-correct a voice! It has next to nothing to do with music theory. This is strictly "how do I get results!" Good luck! My advice is, ask a musician in person. Maybe you will learn something in the process. Meanwhile, there's always the trial-and-error method. After all, there's only 12 major and minor keys.

The song sounds like a minor scale, with a few accidentals.


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