Find the key of any song in seconds. Open an MP3, WAV or M4A file, or let this free song key finder listen through your microphone while the song plays. It shows the key, the Camelot code, the scale and the chords.
Song Key Finder
Get the key, Camelot code, scale and chords of any song. The audio never leaves your device.
Nothing is recorded or uploaded: the music is analysed in your browser.
Most likely key
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Next best keys
Notes in the song
Key noteIn the scaleOutside the scale
Scale
Chords
Tap a chord to hear it.
Key over time
Related Tools
- Scale Finder
Know some notes? Find the scales and keys they fit.
- Pitch Shifter
Change the key of a song file up or down in semitones.
- Vocal Range Test
Find your lowest and highest notes before you pick a key.
- BPM Detector
Get the tempo of a song to go with its key.
- Chord Progression Finder
Chord progressions for any key and mood.
- Audio File Pitch Detector
See every note of a melody in an MP3 or WAV file.
How to Find the Key of a Song
- Add the music. Choose a song file or drop it on the box (MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG or FLAC, up to 80 MB and 20 minutes). No file? Press Listen with the microphone and play the song from another device, or sing or play it yourself.
- Wait a moment. A 4-minute song is analysed in a few seconds on a phone. In microphone mode the key appears after about 5 seconds and firms up over 15–30 seconds.
- Read the key. The big badge shows the most likely key; the ring around it shows the confidence. Below it you get the Camelot and Open Key codes, the key signature, the relative key, the tuning and the next best keys.
- Check it by ear. Press Play tonic while the song plays. In the right key that note sounds like home, especially at the end of a phrase.
What the Key Finder Shows
| Result | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Most likely key + confidence | One of the 24 major and minor keys, with a confidence score (high, medium or low) |
| Next best keys | The runner-up keys with their match: often the relative key or a neighbour on the circle of fifths |
| Camelot and Open Key | DJ codes for harmonic mixing, for example 8B = C major and 8A = A minor |
| Key signature | How many sharps or flats the key has, and which ones: a quick key signature finder for sheet music |
| Scale and chords | The 7 notes of the key and its chords (I, ii, iii, IV, V, vi, vii°); tap a chord to hear it |
| Notes in the song | A 12-bar chart of how much each note sounds in the whole track, key notes highlighted |
| Key over time | For tracks over 40 seconds, a strip that shows the key section by section, so key changes stand out |
| Tuning | Whether the recording is tuned to A4 = 440 Hz or higher or lower, for example +20 cents (A4 ≈ 445 Hz) |
What Key Is This Song In? Check the Result by Ear
Every major key shares its notes with a minor key, its relative minor: C major and A minor use the same seven white keys, G major and E minor the same notes with one sharp. A key detector hears which notes are used and how often; the tonal centre decides between the two. That is why the key finder looks at the chords at the start and end of the track and why it lists the relative key right next to the result.
Quick test: play the tonic while the song ends. If the last chord settles on that note, the key is right. If it settles on the note three semitones lower, the song is in the relative minor.
To work out a key without any software, from the key signature, the last chord and the melody, follow the step-by-step guide how to find the key of a song. If you already know a few notes of the tune, the scale finder above lists every key that contains them.
Vocal Key Finder: Pick the Best Key for Your Voice
Singers ask “what key is this song in?” for a reason: a song that is too high or too low is hard to sing well. Find the song’s key here, then compare its highest and lowest notes with your own range. The Transpose for your voice buttons show the new key and chords one semitone at a time, so you can tell your accompanist “take it down two, to B♭ major”.
- Most songs span about an octave and a half; keep the highest note two or three semitones below the top of your comfortable range.
- Found the right key? Change the key of the backing track itself with the pitch shifter, without changing its speed.
Want to know which note you are singing right now, not the key of the whole song? Use the singing note detector.
Key Finder for DJs: Camelot and Open Key
Harmonic mixing means playing tracks whose keys fit together, so the blend does not clash. The Camelot wheel numbers the keys 1–12 around the circle of fifths, with A for minor and B for major. From any key you can move to the same code, one number up or down, or switch between A and B at the same number.
| Mix from 8A (A minor) to… | Why it works |
|---|---|
| 8A (A minor) | Same key |
| 7A (D minor) or 9A (E minor) | One step on the circle of fifths: six of seven notes are shared |
| 8B (C major) | Relative major: all seven notes are shared |
The key finder shows both the Camelot code and the Open Key code (8A = 1m), so it works with any DJ software. For the tempo, run the same track through the BPM detector.
How the Key Detection Works
The key finder turns the audio into a chromagram: a Fourier transform finds the frequencies in each short slice of sound, the overtones of low notes are removed, and what remains is added up into 12 pitch classes, C to B, across the whole song. It first measures the tuning of the recording, so a track tuned to A4 = 432 Hz or 444 Hz is read correctly. That profile is compared with the typical note profiles of all 24 keys (from the music-psychology research of Krumhansl and Kessler, Temperley, and Albrecht and Shanahan), and the closest match wins.
In our tests with 185 synthesised tracks in all 24 keys (chord progressions, melodies alone, pop loops with drums, detuned recordings), the key finder named the exact key in 172 cases (93%). The misses were loops that start on the relative major chord, which most listeners also hear either way. It measured tuning offsets of −32 to +45 cents within 1 cent. How we test our tools is described on our methodology page; more about tuning standards in A440 tuning standard explained.
Tips for an Accurate Result
- Use the whole song or at least 20–30 seconds with chords, not only a drum intro or spoken part.
- In microphone mode, play the song loud enough in a quiet room and keep the phone or laptop close to the speaker.
- Humming or singing a melody alone works too, but sing the whole tune: a few notes can fit several keys.
- If the confidence is low, check the next best keys by ear with Play tonic, and look at the key-over-time strip for a key change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the song uploaded anywhere?
No. The file is decoded and analysed by your own browser, and microphone sound is analysed live and never recorded. Nothing is sent to a server.
Can I find the key of a song on YouTube or Spotify?
Yes: play it on one device and press Listen with the microphone on another, or on the same laptop near its speakers. You can also open a song file you own.
Why does it say A minor when the song feels like C major?
Relative keys share all their notes, so the answer depends on which chord feels like home. Use the tonic test above to decide.
Can a song have more than one key?
Yes. Many pop songs move up a semitone or a tone for the last chorus. The key-over-time strip shows where the key changes, and you can tap each section to hear it.
What is the difference between a key and a scale?
A scale is a set of notes in order; a key is the tonal centre plus the scale and chords built on it. D Dorian and C major share their notes but not their home note. Other scales and modes are explained in all types of music scales.
Does the key finder tell me the chords of the song?
It lists the seven chords that belong to the key, which covers most chords in most songs. To name the notes of a melody one by one, use the note finder.