It’s almost always the first chord, when it’s not here are some ways to find it: 3 Ways to find Key:

1) Go through my Theory sheet and review the keys and see which one all the chords fit

– remember there are only 3 major chords (I IV V) and 3 minor chords (ii iii vi) so that should help you narrow it down!

2) Figure out all the notes in the chords and which scales include all those notes

– One of the most painstakingly time consuming one, but still an option

3) Using the CAGED number system

-Use one of the chords as a basis to go through it either as a C CAGED key center shape or a G CAGED key center shape

Modes – I talked briefly about modes at the end. They will be another video all unto themselves. The main takeaway is that even though Am-D is only found in the key of “G” and that scale would be correct, you don’t want to think about “G” if all you’re playing is Am-D. Am is still your home base… not G. It’s a quick fix for the time being but I will go through on how to correctly “think” about these new keys.

-Related Lessons-

0:05 – Chords Don’t Fit (Chords as Numbers)?! | UGT 6/8
2:17 – Transposing (Chords as Numbers)?! | UGT 5/8
3:23 – Major CAGED Chord Shapes | CO 1/10
3:23 – Minor CAGED Chord Shapes | CO 2/10
5:40 – Modes
5:51 – Basic Theory in 7 Minutes | UGT 8/8

PDF

 Theory, Finding the Key Worksheet & Find Key_Answers