Discovering Which Scale is Used in a Song by Listening

I've been into my training for almost a month now. Listening to a random song, I can usually tell whether it is in major or minor (for the most part) but have almost no ability in figuring out what key it's actually in. What methods are used to figuring out scales in songs by listening?

Depo007 wrote:I've been into my training for almost a month now. Listening to a random song, I can usually tell whether it is in major or minor (for the most part) but have almost no ability in figuring out what key it's actually in. What methods are used to figuring out scales in songs by listening?

Thats hard... Hm, I have no idea. But what I do know is that if you can tell what Note it starts on, or ends on you know that its in the key that that note is. It allways end on the key that the piece is written in. Some songs use puckupnotes to start.. =)

Depo007 wrote:I've been into my training for almost a month now. Listening to a random song, I can usually tell whether it is in major or minor (for the most part) but have almost no ability in figuring out what key it's actually in. What methods are used to figuring out scales in songs by listening?

u need perfect pitch for that

You'll find it very easy to find out what key a song is in by knowing your chords and what phrases, riffs, licks, or notes in other words that are playing in the song. Having the knowledge of all the scales such as minor and major, harmonic minor, natural minor, melodic minor, and maybe even the blues scale will also help you dramatically.

I usually start out by playing chords first and foremost and then I play scales and see what I hear that matches best. Sometimes you'll come across relative keys, but as long as you think that song is in that key and it sounds like its in that particular key, you'll be fine.

Learn all your scales and chords and you won't find it difficult to find what key a song is in, it's really not that difficult.

Jordan wrote:You'll find it very easy to find out what key a song is in by knowing your chords and what phrases, riffs, licks, or notes in other words that are playing in the song. Having the knowledge of all the scales such as minor and major, harmonic minor, natural minor, melodic minor, and maybe even the blues scale will also help you dramatically.

I usually start out by playing chords first and foremost and then I play scales and see what I hear that matches best. Sometimes you'll come across relative keys, but as long as you think that song is in that key and it sounds like its in that particular key, you'll be fine.

Learn all your scales and chords and you won't find it difficult to find what key a song is in, it's really not that difficult.

Great
Only problem is that there are 12 majors, 12 minors, 12 harmonic minors, 12 melodic minors and some other scales to. I guess its easyer to learn this after you have been doing this pianothingie, hehe, for quite some time, and that all these scales are inprinted in your backbones. Thats ALOT of scales hehe - I only know the 12 major ones, and it is hard for me still to separate them. I I do feel that I can differensiate them from any minor, even though I have never tryed it.

Thomandy wrote:

Jordan wrote:You'll find it very easy to find out what key a song is in by knowing your chords and what phrases, riffs, licks, or notes in other words that are playing in the song. Having the knowledge of all the scales such as minor and major, harmonic minor, natural minor, melodic minor, and maybe even the blues scale will also help you dramatically.

I usually start out by playing chords first and foremost and then I play scales and see what I hear that matches best. Sometimes you'll come across relative keys, but as long as you think that song is in that key and it sounds like its in that particular key, you'll be fine.

Learn all your scales and chords and you won't find it difficult to find what key a song is in, it's really not that difficult.

Great
Only problem is that there are 12 majors, 12 minors, 12 harmonic minors, 12 melodic minors and some other scales to. I guess its easyer to learn this after you have been doing this pianothingie, hehe, for quite some time, and that all these scales are inprinted in your backbones. Thats ALOT of scales hehe - I only know the 12 major ones, and it is hard for me still to separate them. I I do feel that I can differensiate them from any minor, even though I have never tryed it.

Yeah, there are quite a few scales to remember. Even if you don't remember all of them, knowing your majors and minors will really help you out!

Jordan wrote:
Yeah, there are quite a few scales to remember but if you have good memory it's really not that hard to remember all of them. I don't find scales hard to remember, but that's just me. Although there are a few scales that I might have to look up to remember

I dont got a problem remembering those 12 at least, I can just sit down at the piano, and play them.
But remebering how they sound. Well, havnt practiced it so I dont know If its hard for me or not, yet. =)

Thomandy wrote:

Jordan wrote:
Yeah, there are quite a few scales to remember but if you have good memory it's really not that hard to remember all of them. I don't find scales hard to remember, but that's just me. Although there are a few scales that I might have to look up to remember

I dont got a problem remembering those 12 at least, I can just sit down at the piano, and play them.
But remebering how they sound. Well, havnt practiced it so I dont know If its hard for me or not, yet. =)

Sorry for posting the same comment two times, I was eating and not thinking lol. But yeah, remembering how they sound can be a little difficult, I agree with you. Once you practice them you'll start to remember.

Jordan wrote:

Thomandy wrote:

Jordan wrote:
Yeah, there are quite a few scales to remember but if you have good memory it's really not that hard to remember all of them. I don't find scales hard to remember, but that's just me. Although there are a few scales that I might have to look up to remember

I dont got a problem remembering those 12 at least, I can just sit down at the piano, and play them.
But remebering how they sound. Well, havnt practiced it so I dont know If its hard for me or not, yet. =)

Sorry for posting the same comment two times, I was eating and not thinking lol. But yeah, remembering how they sound can be a little difficult, I agree with you. Once you practice them you'll start to remember.

Hehe, yeah I noticed it No prob.
Yeah, I guess I should start on the minors soon! I can at least do every majorscale at 170bpm now.
So time to move on i guess And try to pay more attention to how they sound when I play them. =)