What key is "Sweet Home Alabama" in?

Carl Mesrobian · Post by **Carl Mesrobian** » 17 Nov 2015 9:30 am

My gut tells me G pentatonic.. if and when I play this or any other tune I don't have time to theorize and what is a second on stage is an hour to the audience

Just give me a key and roadmap, or changes, or "It's like..."

Jerry Overstreet · Post by **Jerry Overstreet** » 17 Nov 2015 10:04 am

Yeah, I don't see what difference it makes what you call it. When you hear the opening riff, you've heard the whole song, except for that one run in the 3rd. verse. Is there anybody who hasn't heard it anyway?

I've always thought of it as G, although the song lists I see with my groups have it marked in D, I think because they think of the opening chord.

3rd verse after "loved the Guvnor" there's an F in that little sequence before the second line, so would it make sense to call that the b7 of G rather than the b3 of D?

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 17 Nov 2015 12:53 pm

chris ivey wrote:i think barry will agree we should just eliminate this song from existence.

I'll sign that petition. Hell, I'll sign one to put all of Skynard's songs out of existence. I really can't stand them.

I think of the song in the key of PUKE. Actually, I see it as the key of G, even though every band calls it out in D. My thinking is V IV I (D, C, G). But seriously, does anyone here actually think about the key and/or try to analyze it when on stage? That's more work than the song deserves.

Carl Mesrobian · Post by **Carl Mesrobian** » 17 Nov 2015 12:56 pm

Richard Sinkler wrote:... But seriously, does anyone here actually think about the key and/or try to analyze it when on stage? That's more work than the song deserves...

Hear! Hear!

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 17 Nov 2015 2:52 pm

Went to my local GC and looked up the sheet music in a song book and it's one sharp for the key signature. To me that denotes the key of G... Case closed.........JH in Va.

Carl Mesrobian · Post by **Carl Mesrobian** » 17 Nov 2015 3:02 pm

I hope you didn't make a special trip just for that!

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 17 Nov 2015 3:10 pm

I LOVE Lynyrd Skynyrd...what a great band!

Les Cargill · Post by **Les Cargill** » 17 Nov 2015 5:36 pm

You don't need a B-bender; those can be done with string bends. I imagine it's Billy Powell on piano. He became their keyboard guy in 1972.

Bill Terry is exactly right. I tend to take Ed King's rhythm parts on that song, and they make the song.

Marc Friedland · Post by **Marc Friedland** » 17 Nov 2015 7:20 pm

Are we sure SHA is not 2 1 5 in the key of C?
For the fun of it, why don't we once again go over what key Seminole Wind is in... Em G D A. I remember reading "reasonable" arguments for almost every key in existence on that one...
I've probably played SHA close to 1000 times at gigs, and never once has anyone mentioned or asked what key it was in. If someone was sitting in with the group, but somehow didn't know the song and asked me what key it was in, I'd simply tell him to sit this one out, and if he insisted, I'd tell him the chords are D C G. I'm certainly not going to hold up different amounts of fingers indicating "key" and chord changes, hoping he knows what the heck I'm doing.

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 18 Nov 2015 9:22 am

Les Cargill wrote:You don't need a B-bender; those can be done with string bends. I imagine it's Billy Powell on piano. He became their keyboard guy in 1972.

Bill Terry is exactly right. I tend to take Ed King's rhythm parts on that song, and they make the song.

Les is correct...Ed King's guitar track was played on a Fender Stratocaster with no B-bender,and Billy Powell was the keyboard player in the band.

Rich Gardner · Post by **Rich Gardner** » 18 Nov 2015 10:58 am

My guitar teacher, way back when, taught me that the chord in the last measure of the song is the key the song is in.

Dave Hopping · Post by **Dave Hopping** » 25 Nov 2015 5:39 pm

"Ed King,many things I can't define......"

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 29 Nov 2015 2:50 am

on our set list it says D, so it's in D.

that is , if we play it...

Case Closed

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 29 Nov 2015 2:55 am

we also cover Hotel Ca, hard song to play right. We argued over the key for months but when we play it, we all play the same chords at the right time making the literal theoretical music key irrelevant !

Just like Sweet Home !

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 29 Nov 2015 3:25 am

Rich Gardner wrote:My guitar teacher, way back when, taught me that the chord in the last measure of the song is the key the song is in.

I think this is a good guideline in establishing a key. You have to quit somewhere.

Michael Haselman · Post by **Michael Haselman** » 3 Dec 2015 6:48 pm

What a fun discussion! I've told kids in cover bands I've played/subbed with in the last 20 years that I was tired of playing that song in the '70s. Anyway, while reading the posts I kept thinking, if you listen to the vocal harmonies in the chorus you can't help but think that the G definitely sounds like the IV chord. At least to my ears it does, I vote D all the way.

Jerry Hayes · Post by **Jerry Hayes** » 5 Dec 2015 10:49 am

I'm amazed that this thread is still going on... the d@mn thing is in G with the first three chords V IV I....nuff said....JH in Va.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 5 Dec 2015 7:35 pm

I kind of hope nobody comes by here looking for a definitive answer. You guys kill me.

Barry Blackwood · Post by **Barry Blackwood** » 6 Dec 2015 9:16 am

I think Jerry nailed it..

chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 6 Dec 2015 11:09 am

only 4 months to come up with the answer to....uhhhh...what was the question?

Steve Green · Post by **Steve Green** » 6 Dec 2015 7:04 pm

Jerry Hayes wrote:Went to my local GC and looked up the sheet music in a song book and it's one sharp for the key signature. To me that denotes the key of G... Case closed.........JH in Va.

Actually, I just found this. Two sharps indicates the key of D, so . . . Case closed?

b0b · Post by **b0b** » 6 Dec 2015 8:03 pm

Yeah, it's in D mixolydian (which I call D7). Notice in the sheet above that all of the C notes are C♮ (C natural). That's how you form the mixolydian scale - you flat the 7th tone which in D is C♯.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 6 Dec 2015 8:46 pm

I agree, bob. It's D Mixolydian (closely related to G major). And the sheet music above is written in the key of D.

For what it's worth, Wikipedia agrees too. Look at song #4 on the list of popular tunes in the Mixolydian mode.

Charlie McDonald · Post by **Charlie McDonald** » 7 Dec 2015 3:59 am

I miss the days when I didn't know all of this.
It probably would've ruined 'Gloria' for me.

Mark van Allen · Post by **Mark van Allen** » 7 Dec 2015 8:35 am

To that list I'd add "Can't You See", "Werewolves Of London", and Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" which of course morphs into SHA.

It appears that several of us are in agreement on D Mixolydian. But I bet it'll be back in "G" any minute now…

One of the most interesting things about this forum, from the perspective of someone searching for information, is how many threads contain different or completely opposite opinions all bolstered by certainty. It's a fun place.