how would you find out what key a sample is in?

my tip is get a keyboard (vst) and play all the keys like an octave or two above the sample, then find the key that sounds most like the first note in the sample (Can take some time and is hard to discern, atleast for me)
 
Here ya go.

First listen to the original sample and decide if it sounds "sad, depressing" or "happy, exciting". Deciding this will tell you if it is Major or Minor. Major being happy and Minor being sad. Basically. Theres more to it then just that but that is the JIST.

Second loop that sample and let it play over and over. Grab a keyboard... most likely midi... and play a GOOD piano patch. Start with C and go up every semitone. For Example go from C to C Sharp. (C to C# or Db for all of you sticklers!). Then C Sharp to D and so on.

Play each key once on the first beat... as in... on where your kick would be placed on the sample.

Determine which key BLENDS or MELTS into the sample the best.

Usually you will get the root note or the fifth. To determine which is which... play a Major or Minor chord with it. If you use it as the root... and it doesn't work... most likely it is the third or the fifth. Adjust accordingly.

Once you figure what key it is in... and whether it is major or minor... you can now play the right scale.

99% of all Hip Hop is in a Minor scale of some sort. Either Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor or Melodic Minor. Even possibly the Blues scale which is a derivative of the Natural Minor scale.

Natural Minor scale is:
Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole (in steps or semitones)
or (if in the key of C)
C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C
(b=Flat)

Ehhh maybe too much info... sorry for rambling fam... :confused:
 
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Dope post man, I learned just a little about scales today haha... I appreciate it man, keep rambling.
 
Yea Krumbs, way share some info. I know it's the basics and stuff we should be up on, but now after your post, i'm goin to stop being lazy and finish readin that "how to play keyboard" book i borrowed a few months ago. Pickin up lil stuff here and there really makes me want to learn more and keep it movin fwd. Thanks again my man!
LevLove
 
No problem fellas! Glad I could help. Even if you do strictly sampling... its still good to know a LITTLE music theory. That way you can add instruments to your sample... KNOWING FOR SURE that it is in key and sounds right. Otherwise if you add an instrument you have like a 50/50 chance that it won't be in key. But you can hear it.

Um a few things to add on.

A major chord is ALWAYS 4-3. Which means... 4 half steps from the root to the 3rd. And 3 half steps from the 3rd to the 5th.

A minor chord is ALWAYS 3-4. 3 half steps from the root to the 3rd and 4 half steps from the 3rd to the 5th.

A BASIC chord is pressing down 3 keys but with either step pattern above between them.

Major C chord would be to hold down C + E + G at the same time. Now if you count the half steps inbetween each of those keys you'll have a 4 - 3 pattern. IE 4 half steps from C to E and 3 half steps from E to G.

A Minor C chord would be to hold down C + Eb + G. Which is a 3 - 4 pattern. Half steps = semitones. A WHOLE step = a Whole tone.
(Some people use the terms tones insteads of steps... thats why I'm mentioning it).

The blues scale is
3h - W - h - h - 3h - W
(3h = 3 half steps) (h = 1 half step) (W = Whole step)

So if your root note that you start with is C then...

C - Eb - F - F# - G - Bb - C
Doin' this by thinking about it... but hope that its right.

So then if you use the Blues scale... everything else you add SHOULD also be in the Blues scale. In other words... simpler said...

you can use ANY key, in ANY way, in ANY order - JUST SO LONG AS IT IS INSIDE OF THAT SCALE.

Same goes for Natural Minor scales etc.

If you guys have any more questions I have this topic subscribed so I'll check my email and respond when I can.

Goodluck... be creative but most importantly - HAVE FUN!

(Damn I sound gay as ****... I'm gettin too old ha ha)
 
Melodyne is great but its "another" unnecessary step to take. As an owner of Melodyne I can attest to how powerful it is but I would never use it to find the key of a song... UNLESS... I needed to know what key the INDIVIDUAL drums were in. Then I'd proceed to move any incorrect notes into the scale.

Drums are tough to hear the key so its understandable.

But its too time consuming to use Melodyne to decipher the key of an instrument etc.

Plus learning to HEAR the key for yourself is priceless.

You can cheat your entire way thru life but at the end of it all... what have you really learned?

Feel me?
 
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wow I learned a lot from that , I usually just play scales on my bass until one fits .. thats way quicker

I got another question ... if u know the key and u wanna play a chord progression over the sample, how would u figure out which chords to play?
 
Krumbz said:
Here ya go.

First listen to the original sample and decide if it sounds "sad, depressing" or "happy, exciting". Deciding this will tell you if it is Major or Minor. Major being happy and Minor being sad. Basically. Theres more to it then just that but that is the JIST.

Second loop that sample and let it play over and over. Grab a keyboard... most likely midi... and play a GOOD piano patch. Start with C and go up every semitone. For Example go from C to C Sharp. (C to C# or Db for all of you sticklers!). Then C Sharp to D and so on.

Play each key once on the first beat... as in... on where your kick would be placed on the sample.

Determine which key BLENDS or MELTS into the sample the best.

Usually you will get the root note or the fifth. To determine which is which... play a Major or Minor chord with it. If you use it as the root... and it doesn't work... most likely it is the third or the fifth. Adjust accordingly.

Once you figure what key it is in... and whether it is major or minor... you can now play the right scale.

99% of all Hip Hop is in a Minor scale of some sort. Either Natural Minor, Harmonic Minor or Melodic Minor. Even possibly the Blues scale which is a derivative of the Natural Minor scale.

Natural Minor scale is:
Whole-Half-Whole-Whole-Half-Whole-Whole (in steps or semitones)
or (if in the key of C)
C - D - Eb - F - G - Ab - Bb - C
(b=Flat)

Ehhh maybe too much info... sorry for rambling fam... :confused:
Click to expand...

Best explanation Ive heard in a minute......good fondu
 
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SmokewellProductions said:
wow I learned a lot from that , I usually just play scales on my bass until one fits .. thats way quicker

I got another question ... if u know the key and u wanna play a chord progression over the sample, how would u figure out which chords to play?
Click to expand...

If you already know the key then you can play any chord progressions INSIDE of that scale.

So say the key is in C minor.

The C minor scale is

C, D, E Flat (or D Sharp - ie the black key), F, G, A Flat (or G Sharp - ie the black key), B Flat (the next black key). Then back to C.

If you count the steps or semitones between those keys you will have the following pattern:

Whole, Half, Whole, Whole, Half, Whole, Whole - then to the next C (only an Octave up).

Now a C Minor chord is: C + E Flat + G
Count the steps inbetween them.
C + E Flat = 3 Half steps.
E Flat + G = 4 Half steps.

So you hold them all down and thats your 1st chord. '
C being the root.
E Flat being the third.
G being the fifth.

Now onto inversions. Don't be scared of the kooky names. The concept is fairly simple.

So forget C.
Hold down E Flat and G. Now we know between E Flat and G is 4 Half steps right? Okay add 3 Half Steps UP from G and what note do you have?

B Flat.

So now hold down E Flat + G + B Flat. Thats BASICALLY the 2nd chord progression.

Now forget the E Flat.

So you have G + B Flat. Okay. Since we know they are 3 Half steps from each other... lets add 4 Half steps on top of what we have already.

G + B Flat + D.

See how the chord progressions are:

3 + 4 + 3 + 4 + 3 + 4 etc.

And if you look at EVERY note we just played... you'll notice that each and every NOTE is inside of the C minor scale. And that is KEY to why it works.

You'll also notice that you will be playing Minor and Major chords in the key of C minor. The reason that they work is again... because those major keys are in the scale.

I hope i explained this well enough. I'm not in front of my keyboard right now. Also I'd like to add... someone else showed me these methods and without his help I would still be "stuck". So I'm glad I could return the favor.

There is much deeper music theory to be learned and I'm not the one to teach it as I'm still learning myself.

If you guys are serious about music production... it doesn't matter if you are pro sampling or pro original music... learn it all! And since I'm having such a great experience... I'll give you fellas a link to an online music school. Yes the best music school in America. Berklee.

www.Berkleemusic.com

The classes are surprisingly cheap and worth every penny. I'm currently enrolled in the "Masters" Certificate program. I'm hoping to get my Masters Certificate in Music Production with Pro Tools in 2 1/2 years.

The best thing about this online course is you do your assignments and tests... on YOUR OWN TIME. No pressure. You'd be really suprised at how well it works!

No I don't work for them... just... so far... a very happy student! :cheers:
 
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