What instruments in a song MUST be in key & what don't?

S

Suprarick

New member
Hey guys,

I'm going through my library and I'm not an expert on music theory by any means. I'm wondering what instruments need to be in key and which ones will still sound okay by not being in key? I'm assuming most kick drums, bass notes, synth notes, piano's, strings, etc. must be IN key in order for the song to sound good. I'm assuming things like snares and hihats may not need to be in key...but please please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks! I am also wondering...can percussion be in the scale of a key, for it to fit in a song? Or does all the percussion need to stay in the root note key?

Rick
 
If you're using 808 kicks, then you may want to tune them to the key of the song. Otherwise, all instruments should be in the same key. Not so much drums. But any melodic or harmony sounds should be in the same key. Key is what glues the song elements together, to make a harmonious sound. If your piano was in a different key than your bass, it'd sound a little wacky.

Tuned percussion can sound cool, but its not essential. If you tune percussion to your overall key, it will obviously sit a little better than discorded percussion.
 
Suprarick said:
Hey guys,

I'm going through my library and I'm not an expert on music theory by any means. I'm wondering what instruments need to be in key and which ones will still sound okay by not being in key? I'm assuming most kick drums, bass notes, synth notes, piano's, strings, etc. must be IN key in order for the song to sound good. I'm assuming things like snares and hihats may not need to be in key...but please please correct me if I'm wrong. Thanks! I am also wondering...can percussion be in the scale of a key, for it to fit in a song? Or does all the percussion need to stay in the root note key?

Rick
Click to expand...

any instrument that makes a definite pitch needs to be in tune/key with the home scale of a song and, most of the time, the current chord: this means bass, guitar, piano, synths, brass, vocal, 808 kicks, 808 snares (they are tuned to be an F normally; you should shift your pitch to e be closer to what your home chord is, usually the 5th of the chord)

any percussion such as "real" drums, cymbals, the multitude of hand percussion: tambourine, shakers, maracas, guiro, congas, bongos, claves, will not need to be pitched/tuned into key/scale

exceptions would be using: timpani (kettle drums), glockenspiel, xylophone, marimba, roto-toms (these are mini-timpani without shells)

with the claves you might try to tune them so that they are either the root or the 5th of the scale as they have a defined tone when played properly
 
Yep. Once again it pretty much comes down to how things sound. A bit off-key? Do something about it. This is not a numbers game, or a checklist game. It's about listening & context.
 
808s for me are one thing a lot of people forget to tune but I find essential. An in key 808 just feels so much better when it gets your car shaking.
 
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