The Simplest Key

The people’s key (the key of ut majeur) refers to the simplest key in which one can play or write a song.  This key has no sharps and no flats, supposedly making music in this key simpler to analyze and perform, but there is some debates as to which key that is.

Since the rise in popularity of the guitar in mainstream music in the 1960’s, the key of G major has competed with the key of C major for the title of “The People’s Key”. However, more recently, G major is referred to as "The Camp Counselor's Key".  As one music site explains about G major, “[The term 'People’s Key'] is in part because of its relative ease of playing on both keyboard and string instruments: its scale comprises only one black note on the keyboard, all of a guitar’s six strings can be played open in G, half of the strings on the mandolin and the violin and fiddle are in the G chord when open, and the banjo is usually tuned to open G.”   

More support for G major’s title as “The People’s Key” is its rich history. Queen Elizabeth II stipulated “God Save the Queen” be in G major in Canada, and the music to the United State’s national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner”, was originally written in G major. Though it is now usually sung in A-flat or B-flat major, some groups are campaigning to return the song to its original key arguing that the song is already very difficult to sing on account of its range (one and a half octaves), and the modern standard key makes it still more difficult.

The indie rock band Bright Eyes also release their seventh studio album February 15^th 2011 (lead singer Conor Oberst’s 31^st birthday) titled The People’s Key. The title can also be seen in the track on this album titled “A Machine Spiritual (in The People’s Key)”.  The band celebrated their newest album's release, and possibly the spirit of its title, by offering fan's the opportunity to download its first single "Shell Games" for free.  When asked about which key he thinks "The People's Key"is, Oberst commented, "Well, I've always considered it the key of C, which is all the white keys on the piano. That's usually the easiest to play. But guitar players usually think of it as the key of E."