Best way to learn keys

[Oxygen]

Clearly the answer to this question is practice, but I'm trying to get a little more specific so I can work hard as well as smart. I'm not worried as much with being able to sit down and play a piece of already composed music from a sheet. As a producer, I create my music mostly just from jamming and improvising. I guess my main concern is being able to go up and down the scales with ease and be able to freestyle better chord progressions in the moment. I feel like just sitting in front of the keyboard replaying other music from a piece of paper is not necessarily the best way to learn what I want to do. I have a basic knowledge of music theory (major, minor scales. basic chords). I really want to be able to take it to the next level. Any advice on how or what I should be practicing. Any good programs or books out there that might help me accomplish what I want to do? Also, if you think I'm completely wrong about my approach and should be sitting here learning sheet music, let me know! I'm just trying to open myself up to new and better ways of learning, any help or advice is appreciated, thanks!

[Rev. Juda Sleaze]

A teacher will take you to the next level.

 

For practice, how about once you learn a new chord, scale, mode or whatever, you create a backing track to rehearse jamming your new chops to? Also, jam along to records, figure out what the artists are doing musically.

 

One thing that learning from sheet music will do is to greatly improve your music reading abilities. But, if sight reading and writing sheet music for people isn't something you're likely to do, then I don't think you should feel bad about not doing it. If you're not enthusiastic about it, you probably won't do it well.

[Beer Moth]

Having done something in one key,try to do it on the fly in a different one,preferably a distant one.

Get the hang of the numerical relationships rather than the note/chord names. Or rather,as well as.

Both melodically and harmonically.

That should help,and is a very good thing to be at home with even if it doesn't.

[lookatthisguy]

Having done something in one key,try to do it on the fly in a different one,preferably a distant one.

Get the hang of the numerical relationships rather than the note/chord names. Or rather,as well as.

Both melodically and harmonically.

That should help,and is a very good thing to be at home with even if it doesn't.

 

+1. It always seemed like a natural/logical way to learn things, but when I was teaching high schoolers I quickly realized not everyone comes to that realization. I'd have students stressing over learning D Dorian then relearning, say, G Dorian, F Dorian, and B♭ Dorian, as opposed to learning the pattern and applying it to whatever key someone throws at them.

[Beer Moth]

G dorian is just F major starting on the second degree...modes are overdone these days,and made to be more than they are.

The point being, if you know your scales,you know all the modes.It's just a matter of learning the names once,and applying the arithmetic.

Db Aeolian? That's 6 of Fb,so it's E starting (or centred) on C#.

 

With regard to the OP, a good look at theory (harmony wise) will do a world of good too.Cycle of 5ths and the more obvious substitutions.Read lots.Even if you don't get it straight away,it will sit in your subconcious until you do.

Might be an idea to get a good teacher,though,as it can be complex,and appear complexer than it is without a guide who knows the way.

 

Back to the numerical thing,try to think of the notes you're playing as degrees of the scale 1 to 8 (and 9,10,11 for extensions of chords) simultaneously with their alphabetical names. Where they depart the key you're in,think b3,b5 etc.

Practice the same in ambiguous keys like Gb/F#,just to test yourself and master the whole enharmonic thing.

[lookatthisguy]

G dorian is just F major starting on the second degree...modes are overdone these days,and made to be more than they are.

The point being, if you know your scales,you know all the modes.It's just a matter of learning the names once,and applying the arithmetic.

Db Aeolian? That's 6 of Fb,so it's E starting (or centred) on C#.

 

With regard to the OP, a good look at theory (harmony wise) will do a world of good too.Cycle of 5ths and the more obvious substitutions.Read lots.Even if you don't get it straight away,it will sit in your subconcious until you do.

Might be an idea to get a good teacher,though,as it can be complex,and appear complexer than it is without a guide who knows the way.

 

Back to the numerical thing,try to think of the notes you're playing as degrees of the scale 1 to 8 (and 9,10,11 for extensions of chords) simultaneously with their alphabetical names. Where they depart the key you're in,think b3,b5 etc.

Practice the same in ambiguous keys like Gb/F#,just to test yourself and master the whole enharmonic thing.

 

+1 again, to all points. I'll stop +1ing things now.

[jabraham]

Pick just a few songs and learn them multiple ways:

 

First learn someone else's arrangement from the sheet music.

 

Then memorize the chords and melody.

 

Then improvise similar arrangements (or if you can't do it on-the-fly write it down or memorize your own similar arrangement, but you should be able to think fast enough and know your song well enough to do it on-the-fly.)

 

Then work on it in different keys.

 

Then try to work on different styles of the same song (this is where I tend to get stuck, don't know enough about styles.)

 

By limiting yourself to a few favourite songs it forces you to focus on technique, style, chords, arrangements, etc. Playing both other people's arrangements and working on your own allows you to develop your own technique as well as learn from others, and understand the difference.

 

When you improvise arrangements of a half dozen songs on demand in many styles and any key, you've made some real progress.