Finding Out What Key Signature I'm In

[Kruddler]

Perhaps this is more of a music theory question than a Logic Pro question but here goes. If I've written a song, is there a Logic Pro function that can just tell me what key it thinks I am playing in?

 

I did some searching and there is a key signature inside Logic but it tells me that the key is C Major. That doesn't make sense because there are plenty of notes in the tune that were played by hitting the black keys on the keyboard. I read this article to figure this out, but I really just don't get what it actually does:

http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/logic-pro/working-key-signature-global-track-logic

 

Anyway, failing all this, is there a website which highlights which keys on a keyboard are available in which key?

[Beer Moth]

Which ones are you hitting?

None=C

1 (Bb) is F,2 (Bb n Eb) is Bb,3 (Bb,Eb,Ab) is Eb etc

1 F# is G,2 is D,3 is A

 

Assuming it's not minor or modal,or bluesy or exotic.

 

Google Cycle of fifths for a full chart.

[Brentc]

In other words, your best bet is to learn your theory. Will knowing the key be helpful to you without knowing the theory behind it?

[Kruddler]

I figured out that the key was A#. I did have a look at the circle of fifths but it just confused me.

 

What I did was this:

 

1) Write down the notes used in the main melody in order of lowest to highest note (you can get the notes by clicking on them in Logic).

 

2) Make a hypothesis about which key these notes fit in to (it helps to have a list of scales in front of you - the circle of fifths if it makes sense to you)

 

3) Test the hypothesis by comparing the song notes to those in the scale. You can calculate a major scale with the formula: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone.

 

4) Repeat steps 2-3 until the melody notes match the key.

 

Now, after this process is finished, I need to verify that what I had done was correct. This is because even if the main melody notes match the scale, it is still possible that I have made a mistake because the main melody may not have all the notes from the scale. So I did this:

 

5) Pick a different key and transpose the notes by the difference between the base note of the original key and the new key. So in the case of A# I transposed 9 semitones down to get to C#,

 

6) Compare the list of new notes to the notes in the target scale.

 

7) If they match, it confirms that the original scale was correct.

 

--------

 

But, I was hoping that all this mucking around wouldn't be necessary, I was hoping that Logic would just have a function which tells you which key it thinks a song is in. I don't understand the purpose of the Key Signature in the Globals Tracks area.

[Beer Moth]

That's Bb then,not A#.

That'd have to have double sharps in the key sig.

 

The key signature affects the scire display,among others,and can also be input in Score editor.

 

It might be easier to drag everything up 2 semitones to C and check for any accidental sharps or flats un the score...

[ski]

But, I was hoping that all this mucking around wouldn't be necessary, I was hoping that Logic would just have a function which tells you which key it thinks a song is in. I don't understand the purpose of the Key Signature in the Globals Tracks area.

 

It's not mucking around at all. What you've done is made a first step towards educating yourself with some basic music theory! Now, that's not to say that your result is correct, because we don't have access to your piece of music to be able to judge your result. It's also not to say that your result is incorrect! But what I'm getting at here is that the melody doesn't necessarily outline the key of a song. Most of the time? Sure. But not all the time, so your approach probably has a 75/25 chance of being correct.

 

The purpose of the Key Signature/Global Tracks is for you to enter the key signature manually. Logic has never had any kind of automatic "what key is my song in function", so it's up to you to enter the correct signature.

 

The closest thing Logic has to showing keys is... well, it's not even a key-of-my-song detector but rather a chord analysis function. But even that won't necessarily tell you what key your song is in, as some chord progressions never land on the root (key) of the song.

 

If you want to confirm your result, post a link to a snippet (or even the whole thing) and people like myself, Beer Moth, and others could tell you what the key is without any doubt. But at the same time, if this is a question you have once, you'll likely have it again, and so I'd highly suggest you learn some basic music theory -- at least the part that teaches you what scales, chords, and note names are.

[lookatthisguy]

If you want to confirm your result, post a link to a snippet (or even the whole thing) and people like myself, Beer Moth, and others could tell you what the key is without any doubt. But at the same time, if this is a question you have once, you'll likely have it again, and so I'd highly suggest you learn some basic music theory -- at least the part that teaches you what scales, chords, and note names are.

 

+1

 

I'd also like to point out that it's the harmony, not the melody, that is usually the stronger(-est) indicator of key. Not knowing how much theory you know so far, I won't go into detail about that yet, but if you want any tips with that, post back.

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

2) Make a hypothesis about which key these notes fit in to (it helps to have a list of scales in front of you - the circle of fifths if it makes sense to you)

 

I'd suggest learning the scales, then looking at the circle of fifths, it should make more sense then; but bear in mind that the circle of fifths is an artificial construct, not a fact or certainty. Researching the history of equal temperament should make that clearer... hopefully... The trouble is it all gets a bit muddy once you understand the basics

 

What lookatthisguy wrote about harmony rather than melody is a valid point also.

 

[EDIT] Sorry, I just realized that probably made it sound more confusing, but like any craft you have to understand the basics to make sense of the rest.

[furrytoes]

But, I was hoping that all this mucking around wouldn't be necessary, I was hoping that Logic would just have a function which tells you which key it thinks a song is in. I don't understand the purpose of the Key Signature in the Globals Tracks area.

 

I can see how you're thinking but guessing a key signature would only be relevant for the most simplistic, popular traditional song format.

 

Music like Bach will modulate through several keys without writing a new key signature each time. I think that's partly because a key signature is usually just a decision for the composer to make, depending on whether it helps the player.

 

Many times, the key at any given time is ambiguous - or of no particular use to the player or it can even be modulating so many times, that it would be pointless to notate it.

 

For the music I'm working on at the moment, the key signature is just a means to avoid printing too many accidentals. For some of it, there really is no key. If that sounds unlikely, I'll post some of it and you can try and spot what key it's in.

 

For jazz players, the key signature is of almost no use whatsoever - it's all about the chords and the chord progression.

 

The point basically is, the key signature is not a simple fact that can be stated like chords.

And it can't and shouldn't be something that a notation program tries to do for you - even if some of the songs you're working on at the moment are simple enough for it to have a good guess.

[bella10388]

Perhaps this is more of a music theory question than a Logic Pro question but here goes. If I've written a song, is there a Logic Pro function that can just tell me what key it thinks I am playing in?

 

I did some searching and there is a key signature inside Logic but it tells me that the key is C Major. That doesn't make sense because there are plenty of notes in the tune that were played by hitting the black keys on the keyboard. I read this article to figure this out, but I really just don't get what it actually does:

http://www.macprovideo.com/hub/logic-pro/working-key-signature-global-track-logic

 

Anyway, failing all this, is there a website which highlights which keys on a keyboard are available in which key?

Such a very amazing link!