[oki270]

Hi!

I've run on some weird progression:

verse:

C#m7 - B11 - Aadd9
C#m7 - B11 - F#7(11)

chorus:
A(add9) - B(11) - E(5) - D#(#5/b9) - F#7(11)

I really don't get which key is that and what kind of progression that is. Can somebody shed some light on it?

O.

[felixdcat]

Originally Posted by oki270

Hi!

I've run on some weird progression:

verse:

C#m7 - B11 - Aadd9
C#m7 - B11 - F#7(11)

chorus:
A(add9) - B(11) - E(5) - D#(#5/b9) - F#7(11)

I really don't get which key is that and what kind of progression that is. Can somebody shed some light on it?

O.

I'll just wait for Kirk to come.

[Fretsource]

The only way to be sure of the key is by identifying which chord sounds like the key chord, or tonal centre. So you have to believe your ears rather than your eyes in that case. There may not be any discernible key if the writer just stuck a bunch of chords together that produced an agreeable sound. Remember, the last chord of the song is most often the key chord - but you haven't told us what that is.
Otherwise you have to figure out which key or keys it could be by recognising which keys contain all or most of the chords.

The verse could be in C#minor giving a I - VII - VI root progression, which is repeated but with VI being changed to IV.

The chorus could also be in that key, but as there's no C#m chord present, and depending on how long the chorus lasts, it's probably in the key of E (the relative minor of C#minor) as it contains a IV - V - I progression (A B E).

[AX7221]

A small add on to fretscource's post is if you know the key of the song is relative to C#minor, (a perfectly equivelent way to say that previous sentence is to say the song is in a key relative to E major) is basically all you need to know, and the verse and chorus might have different tonal centers.

[Fretsource]

Originally Posted by Fretsource

The chorus could also be in that key, but as there's no C#m chord present, and depending on how long the chorus lasts, it's probably in the key of E (the relative minor of C#minor) as it contains a IV - V - I progression (A B E).

Oops sorry - that should read "in the key of E (the relative MAJOR of C# minor)..."

[oki270]

Well,

if I belive my ears, then verse is in C# minor. That sounds most "resolving" but I don't trust my ears ;-).

Chorus sounds like key of E.

Thx.