Listen to the reference A4 and then a piano melody, and say which major key it is in. You write it with the key builder, choosing the note and the accidental; all seven notes and the three accidentals are always available, whatever the level. There are three levels: easy (up to 2 accidentals), medium (up to 4) and hard (all). Enharmonic keys are accepted: C♯ major and D♭ major sound the same.
How to use the exercise: choose the level and press Listen. As soon as it starts playing you can choose the note and the accidental; when you have them, press Answer. You will see the key, its key signature, which scale degree the A you heard at the start is, and the melody written out. There are 10 melodies per test. At the easy and medium levels all the keys of the level appear; at the hard level, 10 of the 12 possible pitches, with none repeated, and enharmonic keys can appear written with either of their two names.
How to find the key by ear
The tonic is recognized with relative pitch; to name it, if you do not have absolute pitch, you have to compare it with the A. It is done in three steps:
- Find the tonic. It is the note where the melody rests. In this exercise the melodies are made so that it is heard clearly: they start with a motif on the tonic arpeggio and end with the leading tone resolving to the tonic. Listen for that resolution and sing the final note until you are sure of it.
- Compare it with the A. Recognize the interval between the A and the tonic, and sing that interval until you find the note. In this exercise the tonic is always below the A4: a C, for example, sounds a major 6th below (which is the inversion of a minor 3rd above the A). When you answer you will see which scale degree the A was, which is the same relationship seen from the key.
- Name it. Decide whether the tonic is natural, sharp or flat, and think of its key signature: the chart of keys and key signatures and the circle of fifths help you memorize them.
The intervals for the easiest keys, from the A4 down to the tonic that plays in the exercise:
| Key | Tonic | Interval from A4 |
|---|---|---|
| G major | G4 | Descending major 2nd |
| F major | F4 | Descending major 3rd |
| E major | E4 | Descending perfect 4th |
| D major | D4 | Descending perfect 5th |
| C major | C4 | Descending major 6th |
| B♭ major | B♭3 | Descending major 7th |
| A major | A3 | Descending perfect octave |
Notes that sound the same but are written differently, such as C♯ and D♭, are called enharmonic. They cannot be told apart by ear, so in this exercise either one is accepted. But in practice keys with more than 7 accidentals are not used: G♯ major would have 8 sharps, so it is written as its enharmonic equivalent, A♭ major. If you answer one of those, it is accepted and you are shown how it is written.
What the melodies are like
Each melody is made up on the spot and has 8 measures, in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, 6/8, 9/8 or 12/8. They are made so that the tonic leaves no doubt: they start with the tonic arpeggio, the first phrase ends on the dominant, the second ends with the leading tone rising to the tonic, and the harmony uses the I, IV and V chords. As a final check, an automatic analysis of the notes and how long each lasts (the Krumhansl method) has to point clearly to the intended key; if not, another melody is generated.
The melodies stay in the middle of the treble clef, with the tonic between A3 and G♯4. The point is not to guess the key from whether the melody sounds high or low, but to compare its tonic with the reference A4.
Frequently asked questions
To keep training your ear, there is the same exercise in minor, recognize the minor key, the one that mixes both modes, recognize the key: major and minor, the exercise Major or Minor? and recognize the time signature by ear. And if you want to practice key signatures on paper, see the key signature exercises.