Finding the key of a bassline

If you don't have "perfect pitch" or "relative pitch", there's no easy way to do this. But note (no pun intended) that there are only 12 notes, so by process of elimination you should be able to find the one that matches eventually.

However, to help you out, that song is in C minor, so your bass line should be in C. (At least that's the key of the Dub Mix.)

-=iS=-

I'm not familiar with the song but you could import the audio into Logic on an audio instrument track. Then insert the tuner plugin. This may help you narrow it down if not tell you directly.

If the song has too many parts going at once it doesn't work too well.

hi elastic, to find the key I would suggest:

1 - cycle 8 bars of what sounds like the 'hook' or main chorus. Let Logic play it round and round.

2 - Alternately sing with the music, then stop the sequencer and sing the notes over to yourself until you can pitch some or most of the notes clearly in your head or with your voice.

3 - Once you can hear a fragment of the bass line which sounds likes its an important part of the song, then pick out the notes on an instrument of your choice. Just see where it sounds like it comes to rest.

4 - Learn a bit of music theory from a mate so you can recognise root, 3rd and 5th of a basic chord.


Your ears will soon tell you... the key 🙂

Good luck

thanks guys, very helpful.

ishwarz - the song is actually in D minor, i found
this out buy buying a product called 'mixed in key' -
you basically put the track into the program, iat
analyzes it and tells you the key it's in.

The mix I mentioned in my post... I listened to it on iTunes and it's most definitely in C minor. At the risk of sounding arrogant, my ear is never wrong, and I'd trust it over a plug any day.

In fact, I just listened to it again, and it's in C minor. The chord progression is C minor 9, F minor 7 (repeat). Maybe you're listening to a different mix than the ones I heard on iTunes, but I'm 1000000000000000% positive that those mixes are in C minor.

Is the key of a song basically the main notes that
stick out/are played the most?

No.

I always thought the key of a track was the first
note of a bassline but i am really thinking this isnt
correct now.

It's not that simple. The only way to understand this kind of thing is to learn some basic music theory. For example, you could do a remix of this song and have your bassline started on G (again, we're in C minor). This wouldn't mean that the piece is in G minor.

Get a book on music basic music theory, forget the plugs. When it comes to this kind of stuff there are no easy ways out.

In fact, there's an easy way to figure this out...

Play this on the first chord of the progression:

Eb G Bb D (right hand, above middle C)
C (bass)

If that sounds right then the mix you're listening to is in C minor. If it doesn't sound right, try this:

F A C E (right hand, above middle C)
D (bass)

If that sounds right then the mix you're listening to is in D minor.

If it sounds almost right but not 100% on the money then you're listening to it at the wrong sample rate (48 as opposed to 44.1)

Outta Here.

-=iS=-

Here goes, elastic to <ust need to find out what makes a key of a song,>

Every song is Major or Minor,

Which also reefer's to a SCALE!
Which comprise of SEVEN NOTES ---A B C D E F G.
A Blase-Line would be mare up inversions for a Triad.

so which most of time base is related from the Triad of the Cords of a song the other way around.

therefore if the main Cord in a song then the key would be base off that Cords.

E.g say the main Piano plays in C-Major
C-Major is note of C E G. so that,s is the Triad

Now with the Song being the Notes C E G, you now know the Cords, therefore making if C Major.

Now here goes the part that your about!

C Major its the Key,
then the Base-line would be A Fifth Down from that scale,
So now we go back to the rudiment of music!

SEVEN NOTE OF MUSIC....
A B C D E F G.
Basic Scale that is....
but less not get into that.

So Keys of C Major 5 downs from its Note Equals

E Major.
SO from E up by a Fifth note, its C major.

So in having the bass KEY which is E

The -Notes that makes the Base-Line, is,

Triads of E-major is E G B,
So in knowing what the Triads are then you play around with the triads, Note's that is,

making the base line,

And if isn't on Key then its not right.


Fr.BlayZay

Hi,

Juts to chime in,

I used that product once, to "test it out"... and BOY was it completely off.

Really, if you want to know how to figure out what key a song is in :

"Music Theory For Dummies"

So you know, D Minor a also the same as F Major. Although the usae of the notes and the usage of the building of the chords will dictate if you are in D Minor, or F Major. All minor keys have relative majors, and vice-versa.

However, since iSchwartz has listened to the piece already, I would trust his ears 100% and agree with him that the piece is in C Minor. NOT D Minor as your erroneous software says it might be.

Music is a wonderful, complex art, and takes a lot of study and diligent practice to make properly.

Cheers

So a Fifth Down from C MINIOR EQUALS???????????????



Fr.BlayZay.

Blazay,

Good try, but I think you're confusing the issue here somewhat...

Actually, some of what you wrote is kind of very confusing, if not outright wrong.

C Major its the Key,
then the Base-line would be A Fifth Down from that
scale,

If the bass line was a fifth down from C, that would make the bass in F, and the resultant chord wouldn't suggest the key of C any longer. Put a C major chord on top of an F and you get an F major 9 chord which clearly outlines the key of F, but only if that's the root key of the song (not the song the OP asked about, but in theory). Is this the main chord in the song or is it a passing chord? If what you described is the main chord then the key of the piece would be F major, not C major. But if it's a passing chord then the key would not be F.

So Keys of C Major 5 downs from its Note Equals
E Major.
O from E up by a Fifth note, its C major.

If we're talking about intervals, a fifth down from C if F, so that's F major, not E major.

A major chord that's played up a fifth from E major is not C major but B major.

And from your post above, a chord that's a fifth down from C minor would be F minor.

==============

Message was edited by: iSchwartz for stupid typos and stuff...

So a Fifth Down from C MINIOR EQUALS???????????????

Fr.BlayZay.

F minor... with it's relative majorkey of Ab major.

😉

Going up from f minor:

f - g - a - b - c

Cheers

Furthermore...

Triads of E-major is E G B, < </div>

No. An E major triad uses the notes E G# B, not E G B.

E G B outlines an E minor chord.

One more suggestion for musical education and key discovery.....
Logic's Chord Analyser!

1 - Go to View>Global Components>Chord Analyser ( up pops a nice little grid)

2 - Create a midi track for your keyboard and play in all the suggestions in step time so that you get a nice clean set of notes for the chord analyser to read

3 - Experiment with iS and others music tutorials regarding keys etc - play in the notes they suggest and see if the key issue makes more sense. ( also make them nice long notes so that your ear "hears" if the chord fits or not with the bass line you are listening to. What kind of chord it is appears in the grid above?

* * *

Tell us how you got on 🙂