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Keying your Records! HELP!!!

ok if this has been discussed before i couldnt find it so let me know if it has! but i need HELP!

ok i have a good ear i played guitar for 5 years so i can work out notes but i find it hard to find the major or minor of a song especially a dance tune. So basically if anyone has advice on this im all ears!!!!

Also once i have mastered that i will need to know what tunes go with what, as in which keys go well together and which modulate quite easily! ive been told to count up semi tones etc.. to the third but i still find it hard! can anyone provid me with a simple chart?

i was given this chart:

C - F B Em Am Dm G
G - C F# Bm Em Am D
D - G C# F#m Bm Em A
A - D G# C#m F#m Bm E
E - A D# G#m C#m F#m B
B - E A# D#m G#m C#m F#
F# - B E# A#m D#m G#m C#
F - Bb E Am Dm Gm C
Bb - Eb A Dm Gm Cm F
Eb - Ab D Gm Cm Fm Bb
Ab - Db G Cm Fm Bbm Eb
Db - Gb C Fm Bbm Ebm Ab
Gb - Cb F Bb Eb Ab Db


ok basically i was told that the keys on the left hand side consisted of the notes adjacent to it on the right? is this correct? does this mean for example a song in C will mix fine into a song in F B Em Am Dm G ?

any advice whatsoever will be greatfull!

thanx in advance

Pfff, usually I just use my ears to decide if two songs go together or not.

In general I don't mix a song into another if it has a lower key, because that makes it sound lame, if you know what i mean...

I don't know much about all these notes and stuff, so if anyone could explain it to us, i'd be more than happy...

LOL

personally, if it sounds good, then i mix it. if it sounds bad, i don't. that's the only criterion i need.

put it this way - do you think that every dj goes through a mental key chart before mixing in a tune? hardly.

(though i'd say this is a useful learning tool - just don't depend on it.. you'll grow out of it in any case).

(furthermore, if you played guitar for 5 years i don't see why you shouldn't be able to tell what sounds right and what doesn't right off the bat; just my opinion)

Re: Keying your Records! HELP!!!

quote:

Originally posted by waXology ok if this has been discussed before i couldnt find it so let me know if it has! but i need HELP! ok i have a good ear i played guitar for 5 years so i can work out notes but i find it hard to find the major or minor of a song especially a dance tune. So basically if anyone has advice on this im all ears!!!! Also once i have mastered that i will need to know what tunes go with what, as in which keys go well together and which modulate quite easily! ive been told to count up semi tones etc.. to the third but i still find it hard! can anyone provid me with a simple chart? i was given this chart: C - F B Em Am Dm G G - C F# Bm Em Am D D - G C# F#m Bm Em A A - D G# C#m F#m Bm E E - A D# G#m C#m F#m B B - E A# D#m G#m C#m F# F# - B E# A#m D#m G#m C# F - Bb E Am Dm Gm C Bb - Eb A Dm Gm Cm F Eb - Ab D Gm Cm Fm Bb Ab - Db G Cm Fm Bbm Eb Db - Gb C Fm Bbm Ebm Ab Gb - Cb F Bb Eb Ab Db ok basically i was told that the keys on the left hand side consisted of the notes adjacent to it on the right? is this correct? does this mean for example a song in C will mix fine into a song in F B Em Am Dm G ? any advice whatsoever will be greatfull! thanx in advance

hmmm, no.

a lot of tunes dont just have the 'tonic' (the note which defines what key it is in) note in the bass, they sometimes have the 'dominant' (a note a 5th, or 7 semitones higher) note playin in the bass playing at the same time. so basically in the key of C, you will hear a C and a G at the same time.
for example, Push vs Glode - Tranceformation is in the key of Ab minor when played at the original speed/pitch. a fifth or 7 semitones higher than Ab gives us Eb (the dominant). when beat matched, MORPH - Maximum Overdrive is in Eb minor. so if we mix out of Maximum Overdrive into Tranceformation the harmonics will sound right as we've got the key of Ab in Tranceformation then the key of Eb in Overdrive.

i dont think your theory is correct, well its not correct to use to mix tunes with.
back to this tonic and dominant thing-
as a guitarist you should know what im talkin about. Tranceformation is in Ab minor, and as ive said we can also hear an Eb in the bass. (this gives us a empty or bear chord as there is no 3rd in it) if we mix into a tune which is in G (accoring to your chart the key of G will go with Ab) the harmonics will sound aweful (in most cases). the reason is simple.
- an Ab minor chord consists of Ab, Cb (or B), and Eb.
- a chord of G minor consists of G, Bb and D.
if we mix these two keys the following notes will be heard - G, Ab, D and Eb. if you play those on a piano or keyboard you'll hear how horrible that will sound.

i tend to get round this by killing the bass on the live track just as the bass kicks in on the cued track, this way you get a nice clean smooth harmonic key change.

the above might not make sense but its true - i know this as i do music as uni! im not a teacher so dont shout at me if it makes no sense - it makes perfect sense to me, so ner ner!

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