Which key

fnpt

For a song with the following chords:

Verse: D F Am G

Chorus: Em A F#m B A G

Which key is this song in? Does it change key from verse to chorus?

viz

Depends on the flow of the music of course, as to where the progression is actually honing in towards, but it could be that:

the first bit is in D.

And the 2nd bit could be in G. Could be in Em but sounds more like it's in G, if the finale ends on that chord 

First bit reminds me of Get Lucky

fnpt

Thanks @viz.

Lestratcaster

Are the A and B in the chorus major? If they're minor then its definitely in the key of G.

The verse could be C but then the 'home' root chord isn't there.

bloodandtears

I'd be inclined to say the verse is also in G, with the F chord being "Borrowed"

fnpt

It's a weird one, as I cannot see a clear key for any of the parts. The song is actually a well known hit from the 80's:

https://youtu.be/We_9MthGzwk

viz

Ah ok, so it starts in Dm (though the 3rd isn't strong and is fairly ambiguous - I can't hear it properly on my phone)

Then the chorus is temporarily in Em for 2 bars, then F#m. But it's not a massive modulation or anything, so really you'd say the whole song is in D. (A modulation is when the music "establishes itself in a new key", which this doesn't do.)

Roland

We’ve played this for years. The chords I use are:
Intro: A7
Verse: Dm F Am G Dm F C G
Chorus: Em A F#m B  A G

So you could say that the song is in Dm, and the chorus modulates twice before the rapid step down with the A G back to the verse. 

fnpt

Thanks guys.

Danny1969

The piano is playing a Maj 3rd on the verse  ...F#  so I wouldn't play a Dm on guitar .. that would sound wrong

Roland

We started playing this before we had a keyboard player

viz

Danny1969 said:

The piano is playing a Maj 3rd on the verse  ...F#  so I wouldn't play a Dm on guitar .. that would sound wrong

Fair enough. A bit like smoke on the water. 

Easiest just to say it’s in D then, rather than D major or D minor. 

LPManic

For me the song is clearly in D. 

The Em A F#m B is not really the chorus but more of a pre-chorus lead in to emphasis the shift back to the main key of the song.

Danny1969

viz said:

Danny1969 said:

The piano is playing a Maj 3rd on the verse  ...F#  so I wouldn't play a Dm on guitar .. that would sound wrong

Fair enough. A bit like smoke on the water. 

Easiest just to say it’s in D then, rather than D major or D minor. 

Yeah I would just say in D too 
In all my years of cover bands I've never played this bit reckon it will go down well. Main Vamp reminds me of Tainted Love 

viz

Reminds me of Get Lucky