Re: [Harp-L] How to tell the key of any song or music

["C. Howard Replogle" <howard@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I use a combination of methods to quickly find the song key.  I play mostly blues (along with recorded music) and mostly at home (so I can hear myself without disrupting the jam).  My favorite position is second, so I find keys in second position regardless of which position I will ultimately use.  I then use my knowledge of common blues keys to weight my first few guesses.  The most common blues keys are E, G, A, F,  and C, so I generally try those first.  If the song has a harmonica that sounds like second position, I listen to how high in pitch the harp is and try to guess which harp it is I'm hearing.  G is the lowest standard harp, F# the highest and that's the order I keep my harps in my harp case.  I also use my knowledge of which keys other instruments "like;" guitars like E, A and G, keyboards like C and F, horns like F and Bb, etc.  I also use intuition.  I don't know how my intuition works, but somehow, I guess right pretty often.  I can play by ear well enough that I when I try to play along, I will immediately know when I have the right harp because it rhymes with the music, even when I haven't yet nailed the melody.  Hazards to this are playing the IV or V over the tonic which can sound "kinda right."  When none of the standard blues keys work, I start interpolating and using my other harps until I find one that "works."  If the song sounds minor, I then switch to third position.  If it has a folksy or bouncy or "light" feel I might then switch first position.  This all sounds complex because I've deconstructed my thinking process here, but in real time I can usually find a key this way in seconds.  This works so well, that I haven't bothered to write down song keys in years.  On the other hand, sometimes I go through all 12 harps and the song ends before I've found the key.  When that happens, I push "replay" and give it another try.  That way, I refine my skill.  But my method doesn't work very well in a really loud jam because to play loud enough to hear myself, I might disturb the music.  So in jams, I resort to other methods including asking.  My method doesn't work at all in a performance, but in a performance, you better KNOW what key to play in.

Howard Replogle
Ryderwood, WA