C (and its relative minor, A) are the most common by far. After that there is a general trend favoring key signatures with less sharps and flats but this is not universal. E♭ with three flats, for instance, is slightly (though not statistically significantly) more common than F with only one flat.

Major Scale Songs

• 8:48. Friend of the Devil Intro Tab.
• 8:45. Wild World Tab and Major Scale Lesson.
• 9:56. Down On the Corner Guitar Tab.
• 7:44. Crazy Train Riff Tab.
• 5:17. The Man Who Sold the World Tab and Major Scale Lesson.
• 7:42. Island in the Sun Guitar Solo Tabs.
• 9:50. La Bamba Guitar Tabs and Major Scale Lesson.
• 9:46.

At the top of a well-written chart, you’ll see a clef & a time signature, and in between them is a key signature—the number of sharps or flats tell you what key the song is in.

I, V, vi, & IV. There’s just something about these four chords that makes for a catchy tune in western pop music, transcending the boundaries of genre, and work in a song with any mood or tempo.

Major chords or triads are created by taking some root note, say C, and then moving up a major third, followed by a minor third (or a perfect 5th from the root). A perfect fifth is simply a major third plus a minor third above a root note, (or the 5th note in a major or minor scale).

Songs In C Major For The Piano

• “Imagine,” by John Lennon.
• “Something Vague,” by Bright Eyes.
• “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” by Wham!
• “Lost Cause,” by Beck.
• “All The Small Things,” by Blink-182.

You can also look to the melody of a song and notice where it ends. Melodies typically resolve to the tonic note of the key. Again, if a song’s melody notes all fit within C major/A minor and the final melody note is C, it’s in C major. If it ends on A, it’s in A minor.

The most popular keys in order are C, G, Eb (that’s a surprise), F, D, A, E, Db, Bb, Ab, B, F# and their relative minors. Next came the most popular chords. First, all the songs were transposed to the key of C for a common reference point.

Use the “Semitones (half-steps):” option to adjust the songs key either up or down. If you are looking to change the key of the song to make it slightly easier to sing, adjust it either -1 (one half-step lower), -2, -3 (three half-steps lower) or +1 (one half step higher), +2, or +3 (three half steps higher).

In music a key is the major or minor scale around which a piece of music revolves. A song in a major key is based on a major scale. A song in a minor key is based on a minor scale. A song played in the ‘key of C major’ revolves around the seven notes of the C major scale – C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.