Music Key

Instruments in Sky play music in different **music keys**, so that all player music blends well with other music in the environment. These key changes happen automatically so that most players do not have to worry about it. However, experienced musicians may want to understand or control their instrument's key.

If you have selected a Music Sheet (or if someone nearby has selected one), your instrument's key will always be determined by the music sheet; see Music Sheets for all their keys. Otherwise, your instrument's key matches the background music, based on your current location, as detailed in Finding Keys

You can pause your key at any time by completely lowering the volume of the background music in the Audio Settings in-game.

## Finding Keys

Currently, you can only get specific keys by going to certain areas that have the right notes in their background music. Often, you'll have to wait a while for the music to quiet down before starting your practice/performance session. Below, you'll find suggested locations for specific keys. However, these are not the only places that support a specific key of your choice, though notably the most convenient.

Here is an infographic summarising this section, made by Clement#8978 on Discord.

If you prefer a video, here's a guide to help:

   The Original Sound Track (OST) page does include the in-game keys for some tracks. If you are familiar with the game locations of the tracks and have access to the OST, that page may also be helpful.

### C major

The majority of music sheets are in C major. These include Music Sheets  1,  2,  3,  HH3,  HH4,  HH5, and others.
Some places that give you the C major key include:

* Homespace
* The Temple in Hidden Forest. Mute the background music.
* The Upper or Lower (the Graveyard) Swamps in Golden Wasteland.

 A
 F

 F

 C

### C♯/D♭ major

C sharp/D flat major is the key used when playing Music Sheet  34.

Two spots that give the C♯/D♭ major key:

* The starting point for the 8-player puzzle in Daylight Prairie
* The Boneyard in Hidden Forest

 B♭
 G♭

 G♭

 D♭

### D major

D major is the key used when playing Music Sheets  28,  37,  E1, and  HH1.

Here are four areas which will set your key to D major:

* Go through the portal to Daylight Prairie from Home
* The Temple in Valley of Triumph
* The Battlefield in Golden Wasteland

 B
 G

 G

 D

### D♯/E♭ major

D sharp/E flat major is the key used when playing Music Sheets  8,  12,  13, and  33.

Here are three spots for playing with the key E♭ major:

* The Forest's Brook in Hidden Forest.
* The Broken Temple in Golden Wasteland.
* The Shard Memories from  Season of Shattering Quests.

 C
 A♭

 A♭

 E♭

### E major

If you have  Music Sheet 16, this is the most convenient way to get the E major key.

If you have finished all seasonal quests in the Season of Assembly area, you can also just go to that area.

Otherwise, you can go to the end of **Orbit**, in the place where you exchange your stars for candles. (Don't walk too far into the level as the music will change.)

Though, by using a technique (pausing your key) demonstrated in the video linked above, you can also play with E major in Eden. However, this requires being able to tell notes by ear. When the desired key is achieved (tested by playing an instrument), pause the in-game music by simply going to the Audio Settings and turning off the music.

The Treehouse in Hidden Forest, added in the Season of Assembly, also plays E major after the music finishes.

 C♯
 A

 A

 E

### F major

F major is the key used when playing Music Sheets  22,  25,  27, and  29.

Three places that support F major include:

* The elevated clearing in Hidden Forest
* The Citadel in Valley of Triumph
* The first Floor in Vault of Knowledge

 D
 B♭

 B♭

 F

### F♯/G♭ major

The most convenient quiet place with F sharp/G flat major is the Boneyard in Hidden Forest, after the Jellyfish have been released and the background music has finished. Though, there is also a section of the background music in the 8-player elevator where the key for the instruments is G♭ major.

 E♭
 C♭

 C♭

 G♭

### G major

G major is the key used when playing Music Sheets  35,  E2, and  HH2.

A place with G major is the clearing/Social Area in Hidden Forest after the background music has finished.
You can also go to the start of Isle of Dawn.

 E
 C

 C

 G

### G♯/A♭ major

You can get the G sharp/A flat major key in the Coliseum in Valley of Triumph after completing either race, and waiting for the background music to finish.

 F
 D♭

 D♭

 A♭

### A major

A major is the key used when playing  Music Sheet 30.

An area with the key A major is the fourth Floor in Vault of Knowledge.

 F♯
 D

 D

 A

### A♯/B♭ major

A sharp/B flat major is the key used when playing  Music Sheet 11.

A place with A sharp/B flat major is the after-Temple area in Hidden Forest, after the background music has finished.

 G
 E♭

 E♭

 B♭

### B major

If you have Music Sheet  20 or  36, this is the most convenient way to get the B major key.

Otherwise, you'll need to use a technique called "pausing your key" to play an instrument with this key. To do this, you'll need to be able to tell notes by ear. When the desired key is achieved (tested by playing an instrument), you can turn off the background music in Audio settings, at the right moment, to pause your key.

B major is part of the background music in:

* The Boneyard in Hidden Forest. Activate the Jellyfish - the beginning of the music will be in B major.
* Towards the end of a race in Valley of Triumph. A section towards the end of the music is in B major.
* The second Floor of Vault of Knowledge. A section of the music will be in B major

 G♯
 E

 E

 B

## Sound Effects

A lot of sounds are in tune with your key, including the call of your voice, the sound of forging candles, and some Expressions:

In an interview with FMOD, the Sky sound designer mentioned this technical detail.

> **Which technical detail are you most proud of?**
> **Ritsu:** The tone of many sound effects are pitch shifted in real-time according to the music key. This avoided subconscious player discomfort caused by discord between music and sound effect.
>
>

## Key by Location

Note that an area which has no background music will not set your key to a new one.

## Sharps and Flats

You may find these tables useful when choosing a key to transcribe other songs into Sky.

### Sharps

 1
 2
 3
 4
 5

### Flats

 2
 3
 4
 5
 6

## Gallery

C Major in HomeC Major in the Forest TempleD♭ Major in 8-player elevator in PrairieD♭ Major in Boneyard in ForestD Major in Butterfly Fields in PrairieD Major in Valley TempleD Major in Battlefield in WastelandE♭ Major in courtyard past Forest's clearingE♭ Major in Broken Temple in WastelandE Major in OrbitPausing your key in Eye of Eden, click for Video GuideF Major in Forest's elevated clearingF Major in the Citadel in ValleyF Major in the first Floor of VaultG♭ Major in the Boneyard in Forest (after jellyfish)G Major in Forest's clearingA♭ Major in the Coliseum in ValleyA Major in the fourth Floor of VaultB♭ Major in Forest EndB Major in the Boneyard in ForestB Major in any race in ValleyB Major in the second Floor of Vault, click for video