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Lesson Tab: Finding The Key PDF

• Most of the time  a song will begin and end with the chord that is the song’s key signature.
• Another way to look at it is that the chord used most in a song is the same as the song’s key signature.
• The best way to develop skills in identifying key signatures is by listening to songs and trying to identify their key signature by ear. Pick up your guitar and try to identify the roots of the chords being played in the song. Use your low E string to find these root notes. With a little practice you’ll easily be able to identify a song’s key signature.
• To play solos over a song you first need to identify it’s key signature, then you will be able to pick the appropriate scales to solo with.

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Fig. 1: Primary Lead Pattern

The “R”  is the pattern’s root. You can use the root to determine where to play the pattern in other key signatures. The pattern’s root note in the illustration is on the A note on the 5th fret of the low E string and therefore in the key of A. If we wanted to play the pattern in the key of B we would play the pattern to whereas the root note is on the B note on the 7th fret of the 6th string. In other words, we would just move the entire pattern up two frets. If we wanted to play the pattern in the key of C we would move the root to the C note on the 8th fret and apply the same logic to find the correct positioning of the pattern by its root note for all other key signatures.

Fig. 2: Pentatonic Minor Pattern

Fig. 3: Notes On The E String (To Find The Root)