C major

D

DeathKnell

New member
I'm noticing a pattern which i'm not particularily liking..

I can't help composing in C major.. those white keys are just too tempting.

Anyone have any suggestions for switching over to the other keys, and do you personally feel a different mood/emotion associated with any particular keys?

(it's not a lack of knowledge.. well maybe i'm just lazy.. but still even if i compose something in C then try it in another key.. it always feels best in C.. i guess because that's the mindset i was in when composing)

this is kind of random.. i dont know if anyone will associate, some words of wisdom wouldn't go astray ;)

thanks!
 
A few questions:

Are these vocal tunes you're writing or instrumental?

If they are vocal tunes, are you singing them?

Sometimes people get into the habit of writing in keys that are comfortable for their voice. But if they're doing this, then it means they're probably writing songs with similar melodies as well.

In a very general sense, I would say sharp keys sound a little brighter to me, whereas flat keys have a slightly warmer sound. Of course, this is entirely subjective, and I'm sure you'll find dozens of contrary opinions.

I would suggest maybe learing some other songs that you like and take note of their key. Then transpose them to C and notice how the mood changes. Keys aren't all the same. There is a reason why songs are in certain keys. Sometimes it's nothing more than the fact that it suits the vocalist's range. But there's still something more abstract about it as well. It's hard to define, but it's kind of one those things you don't miss until it's gone.

I'm a guitar player/singer first and foremost, so I'm coming at this from a slightly different angle, but I do play piano as well. Here's what I would recommend:

Try composing away from the keyboard. I don't know your method of composing, but a lot times with my songs, a melody will come first (as opposed to a chord progression). Try just making up a melody or chord root movement away from the piano. Then when you have something you like and can hum it aloud, go to the piano and figure out what key it's in. If it's in C, then go with it. But if it's in another key, stick with it. That's my main compositional approach when it comes to keys. If I come up with something away from the instrument, I always go with that key, because I figure there's a reason I heard it in that key.

Like I said, speaking from a guitar point of view, there's even more things to consider. Some riffs on a guitar won't sound the same without the use of open strings. Some riffs are impossible without the use of open strings. So sometimes we use certain keys because of that. However, if I hear a riff in a key that won't allow open strings, I'll usually use a capo so that I can play that riff the way I heard it as if it were using open strings.

Good luck
 
Vocal range has a lot to do with it. I noticed one time listening to Allen Jackson that ALL of his songs were in G Major. He has a hell of a good band, but all the melodies were very similar. In fact, you could set up a drum machine to one tempo and damn near play the whole album from start to finish (there were a couple ballads, but they were in G too). To me, it makes the album boring, even though the songs on their own were pretty good.

I was the same way when I started singing along with my playing. I tended to find a certain key (A) because it was easy for me to sing to. It took some time, but I started experiementing with other keys, and pretty soon I found that I could write in F, F#, G, A and E comfortably. I am still learning chords and patterns, and I am trying to branch out more.
 
Your in the COMFORT Zone......And the same as with anything else....until you step out ....the song remains the same....I know ..I have a whole lot of comfort songs....doesn't mean they are bad songs....just less creative...come to think of it...I am not as creative as "I" would like to be myself.. :rolleyes: so I believe I'll head to the SCARY Zone starting tomarrow.... :D Good luck....... :)
You might consider using a different instrument , if you have access to them...strumming on a geetar, playing the drums and keyboard, all have a different mood quality to me...Even my piano takes me somewhere totally different than the keyboards...just a suggestion....
 
Mixposure said:
Do what I do, switch it up to D Minor every now and then. ;)
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you live in the danger zone :eek:

thanks for the advice everyone..

esp beagle..

I'm guessing i need to follow my intuition a bit more.

for the record, i've only really been composing on piano for the time being.. vocal idea's tend to be the LAST thing to come to me (which i find rather annoying)

If i just try to think up a melody, i generally abandon any and all theory in an attempt to create something that defies most laws in relation to music LOL

oh no wait, that's just R&B...
 
write something in C# Major.

actually, C# minor is my favourite key to write in. here, i'll get you started:
C#min, C#min/A, F#min, B
 
I find D minor to be the saddest of all keys. I once heard a beautifully sad melody in that key called "Lick my love pump."
 
DeathKnell said:
Anyone have any suggestions for switching over to the other keys, and do you personally feel a different mood/emotion associated with any particular keys?
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There are moods to different keys, which also varies by instrument. Piano is more neutral in that respect than guitar, because different keys force different voicings on guitar. But there are still differences.

Try Bb, that's a solid key on piano. I am very bad at piano, but I find it easier to play flat keys. Just get your fingers up on those black keys.
 
when i'm just messing around on a piano, seeing what i can get out of it, i quite like to choose, say five different notes, black and white, and mess around with them until i have a single nice chord - and then take the chord sequence from there. After doing that, i find that playing it in a different key never sounds right - to the point where i can tell if another member of my band is playing it in a different key in a room different to the on i'm in!

modulations (moving into different keys) are also fun, especially when done subtly, over maybe 8 bars, rather than the ultra-poppy I - V change from the chorus repeat at the end :P :D

this is all me trying to put how i write into words. i won't be offended if you try to throw out the rubbish stuff i've said, and realise there isn't anything left :p

Andy
 
i am having this problem too. i find that anything written in the key of c sounds cliche yet i write everything in that key unless i make a conscious effort not to.
 
Is it such a crime to use the Transpose feature of my keyboard for the sake of not wanting to memorise all the accidentals of every key?
 
Different Keys

Well - you could do that, but it is a stop-gap measure and won't stretch you in the way it sounds like you want to stretch. Besides, what happens when you sit and an actual piano to play the songs?

I am primarily a guitar player/singer, but I have written several songs on piano as well. As someone said further up the thread, if you are able to sit down and write with different instruments, you may find you automatically play, and write, differently. For instance, what I have written playing electric guitar sounds very different from what I have written on the piano, and even changing the strings on my acoustic to nylon folk strings inspired a different sort of songwriting.

If you really want to write in different keys and with different feels (as I am sure we all do), do everything you can to vary the process - start with a chord progression one time and the melody another. Write in different environments or with different instruments. This kind of thing has helped me before, and you may find it helps you.

I don't know if this rambling discourse helps (or even relates....), but I hope so!
 
DeathKnell said:
Is it such a crime to use the Transpose feature of my keyboard for the sake of not wanting to memorise all the accidentals of every key?
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Yeah like mjareo said above, that's fine and well until you sit at a real piano. But there's more to it that just "being able to do it." Learning different keys and chords will open up your writing ability. The problem is if you just play "in C" on your keyboard and use the transpose function, you're likely to get into a rut pretty quickly. Something as simple as one new chord you learn can open a whole new door, however. You simply HAVE to learn your instrument if you want to keep growing.
 
I just played C, Am and it sounds like the first 2 chords of the LOTR theme! Can anybody half decent on the piano figure out the next chords :-)
 
TunaTheFish said:
I just played C, Am and it sounds like the first 2 chords of the LOTR theme! Can anybody half decent on the piano figure out the next chords :-)
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I could if I could remember the theme. (You're talking about "Lord of the Rings" right?)
 
I tend to play a lot in A

Course I play blues and oldschool rock... And I'm on the guitar not a keyboard... but it's something to think about I guess...

Tanlith
 
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