Hey Reader, It's Keppie here!

This question comes up all the time in our workshops, feedback sessions, and programs:

“What key am I in?”

Closely followed by:

• Why do these chords sound good together… but my melody keeps clashing?
• Why do I feel stuck looping the same few chords?
• Why does this song feel floaty, unresolved, or like it never quite lands?

If you’ve ever written a progression intuitively — trusting your ear, following what feels good — and then hit a wall when it came time to write a melody or finish the song, this new tutorial is for you.

The problem

Many songwriters aren’t actually struggling with creativity — they’re struggling with clarity.

Not knowing:

• where “home” is
• whether you’re thinking in major or minor
• how borrowed chords really function
• or how melody and harmony work together to define a key

…can undermine your songwriting process. It can lead to melodic clashes, stalled songs, or that nagging sense that everything sounds almost right — but not quite.

The solution

​In this new video, Benny walks you through a practical, musician-friendly system for identifying the key you’re in — even when:

• the progression doesn’t start on the home chord
• multiple keys share the same chords
• you’re using borrowed chords
• or you’re intentionally creating ambiguity and tension

You’ll see how chord order, chord duration, and melody choice all work together to establish a tonal center — and how you get to control that as the songwriter.

You'll also learn how to:

• deliberately shift the listener’s focus between major and minor
• use borrowed chords without wrecking your melody
• turn ambiguity into a creative strength rather than a source of confusion

Stop Guessing

By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to identify the tonal center of a song, make sense of ambiguous or borrowed chords, and write melodies that naturally fit the harmony instead of clashing with it. Most importantly, you’ll feel in control — able to shape tension, release, and emotional direction on purpose, and finish songs with far more clarity and confidence.

Enjoy 🎵

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