DIGITAL MUSIC
FutureDJs: How to DJ is a guide to DJing and electronic music by Austen Smart, Scott Smart, and
Tom Dent. Put simply, FutureDJs are remixing music education to make the art form more accessible
to young people. For more information, visit www.futuredjs.org.
By FutureDJs
Harmonic Mixing
From FutureDJs: How to DJ
M
ixing tracks out of key can
sound displeasing and turn a
happy, vibrant audience into an
unsettled one in a short period
of time. Whilst as musicians we must learn to
trust our ears, we should still build up some
solid music theory to help explain what we’re
hearing.
There are up to 88 keys on a piano, but there
are only 12 diff erent notes. These 12 notes can
be grouped together in various ways to create
keys. The key of C major, for example, contains
these notes: C D E F G A B.
While the key of B minor contains these
notes: B C D E F G A
Within each key, you can play specific
groups of notes together (typically three) that
are called chords. As there are seven notes in
a key, you can play seven chords; however,
there are three that are the most commonly
used (made on the fi rst, fourth, and fi fth notes
of the key).
Common chords in the key of C major:
C major = C E G
F major = F A C
G major = G B D
Common chords in the key of B minor:
B minor = B D F
E minor = E G B
F minor/F major = F A C / F A C
Why Does This Matter?
Some keys sound good when they are played
together, and some do not. As a basic
principle, the more notes two keys have in
common, the better they will sound. Mixing
a track in C major with a track in B minor, for
example, may sound bad because there
are only two notes in common.
When Does This Matter?
The Type of Transition – If you are using a
drop in or a straight cut to transition between
two tracks, then their keys are less important
because they do not overlap. But if you are
performing a bass swap, during which two
tracks are played together for a number of
phrases, then the keys of each track will aff ect
how well the tracks mix together.
The Track’s Components - If the tracks you
are mixing have no melody or chords, i.e. drum
and percussion only, then the key may not be so
obvious and there is less risk of two keys clashing;
however, if your tracks contain clear vocals, guitars,
pianos, pads, or basslines, then the keys will be a
prominent part of the music and it is much more
important that they fi t well together.
Harmonic Blending
To blend harmonically, mix together tracks
that are in complementary keys. (Tip: If you are
playing records, it may help to write the key on
the record sleeve.)
Ex. 1
The Camelot Wheel (Ex. 2) is another system
for describing how similar two keys are. Instead
of key names, it uses numbers and letters. The
closer the number is, the closer the key.
Comparing it with the circle of fi fths, you’ll no-
tice that “A” means a minor key and “B”
means major.
Ex. 2
Which Keys Work Well Together &
Which Don’t?
The Circle of Fifths - The more notes two keys
have in common, the better they will sound
together. The key that is the fi fth note of another
key is always complementary, because it is the
key with the most notes in common with the
fi rst key. (In fact, all but one of the notes are
the same.)
For example, look at C major: C D E F G A
B. The fi fth note is G.
Now let’s look at G major: G A B C D E F#.
All notes are the same but one: F#.
The circle of fi fths (Ex. 1) tells you how similar
two keys are. The further apart the two keys are,
the fewer notes they have in common, and the
less likely they are to sound good together. As
a general rule, try to stay on either side of the
fi rst track’s key.
The circle of fi fths shows you an outer circle
of major chords and an inner circle of minor
chords. Major and minor keys come in pairs.
Every major key has a minor key that contains
the same notes, so you know you can safely mix
between, for example, A major and F minor.
Some DJs always mix harmonically, some do
not. It is important to be creative here
and not just play tracks that “look” like they will
go together. You can really have fun
experimenting in this area, and yes, sometimes
you can put together two tracks with
totally diff erent harmonies and vibes.
This column is an ex-
cerpt from the book
FutureDJs: How to DJ,
published by Faber
Music. Get it now at
www.musicbooks-
plus.com.
CANADIAN MUSICIAN 31