What key is this in?

[mgray]

I have a song, F#m-D-A-E in 4/4. I know the first chord generally sets the key, but I'm kinda confused on this progression.

And while I'm at it, what scales would go with this? I know you can always be safe playing the major scale of the key the progression is in, but what are some other scales I can use?

And as I understand it, modes of a scale incorporate all the same notes of the particular scale, but just start on a different note(but keep the same step pattern after that note?)?

Thanks

[RRuskin]

Originally Posted by mgray

I have a song, F#m-D-A-E in 4/4. I know the first chord generally sets the key, but I'm kinda confused on this progression.

And while I'm at it, what scales would go with this? I know you can always be safe playing the major scale of the key the progression is in, but what are some other scales I can use?

And as I understand it, modes of a scale incorporate all the same notes of the particular scale, but just start on a different note(but keep the same step pattern after that note?)?

Thanks

The key would be "A"

[ductape]

What he said

[mgray]

Ok thanks that's what I thought, but I wasn't sure if it would be called F#m, as it's the relative minor for A major. But can you have a minor key song, or should it always be refered to by its major key reference?

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by mgray

Ok thanks that's what I thought, but I wasn't sure if it would be called F#m, as it's the relative minor for A major. But can you have a minor key song, or should it always be refered to by its major key reference?

it is either A-Major or F#-Minor. The melody will dictate which. I'm guessing it's probably A-Major because of the lack of any cadence to the F#- chord (which would usually be C#7 from the harmonic minor but in a true minor it would be C#-7)

in either case the best scale would be the diatonic A-major or F#-minor: A B C# D E F# G#

If you wanted to get more textured - try a bebop major scale: A B C# D D# E F# G# (adding the #4 between the 4 and 5)

if you wanted to get more gritty try a bebop dominant scale: A B C# D E F# G G# (adding the b7 between the 6 and 7).

[mgray]

Awesome, thanks for that!

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

it is either A-Major or F#-Minor. The melody will dictate which. I'm guessing it's probably A-Major because of the lack of any cadence to the F#- chord (which would usually be C#7 from the harmonic minor but in a true minor it would be C#-7)

in either case the best scale would be the diatonic A-major or F#-minor: A B C# D E F# G#

If you wanted to get more textured - try a bebop major scale: A B C# D D# E F# G# (adding the #4 between the 4 and 5)

if you wanted to get more gritty try a bebop dominant scale: A B C# D E F# G G# (adding the b7 between the 6 and 7).

[DupleMeter]

Anytime.

BTW, I use the - (minus) to indicate minor chords. Sorry if that wasn't clear. It's a jazz/Berklee thing. So in my above example the F#- was an F#m and the C#-7 was a C#m7. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows that.

[Losov]

Originally Posted by DupleMeter

Anytime.

BTW, I use the - (minus) to indicate minor chords. Sorry if that wasn't clear. It's a jazz/Berklee thing. So in my above example the F#- was an F#m and the C#-7 was a C#m7. Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows that.

Yeah, I always thought the minus was for "flat", as in C7-5 for C7b5. When I used to play in pit bands for musicals, I saw all KINDS of unique notation in the scores. I swear they made some of that stuff up just to piss you off.

[DupleMeter]

Originally Posted by Losov

Yeah, I always thought the minus was for "flat", as in C7-5 for C7b5. When I used to play in pit bands for musicals, I saw all KINDS of unique notation in the scores. I swear they made some of that stuff up just to piss you off.

Well, that's the thing that makes it confusing, is that it is used to indicate flatted or lowered intervals. That is not as accepted as the minus for minor notation, which is pretty much standard in the jazz theory realm (as opposed to the traditional theory realm where you use an 'm' or 'mi').

The one that still throws me is the Delta/Triangle for Maj. as in C∆7 for CMaj7. In college that was forbidden notation. And the small 'm' for minor and capital 'M" for major was also forbidden (for reasons obvious when you go to grade tests as quickly written 'M's or 'm's can be indistinguishable), hence the minus for minor, M or Maj for major. And the only time we used the '+' (plus) was to indicate augmented.

The worst I came up against was a music director who insisted on using arrows to point back to parts he wanted to repeat to (instead of a repeat sign or a da signo). It killed me to try to follow those charts and it was always a 'okay here's the chart, let's go over in/out and key changes' - and then it was bam! we're live.

though, I credit him for making me a great sight reader. I thought I was good before I started working with him, afterwards I knew I could follow anything.

[Losov]

Hey, Duple, do they still do that thing in jazz where when the leader wants to modulate, he holds up one finger for G, two down would be Bb, a fist for C, etc?

When I first encountered that as a pick-up bassist, it took me a whole set to figure it all out.

[jbhiller]

I would agree...Key of A because

1. no resolution to F#m and

2. F#m is relative minor to key of A, and the 2nd to last chord is an E, which would be the V chord of the key of A--giving a big sweeping resolution to an A.