How to find the key of a diatonic flute by listening?

Question

I was listening to a song played on the Dizi (Chinese diatonic bamboo flute). Dizi like other diatonic flutes comes in different keys. When listening to music played by someone else, how can I find out the key of the flute?

Now I'm not asking for someone to identify the key of the flute in the video for me. I'm just curious about how to find the key. I would think the first step would be to find out the scale of the song, that would narrow down the options of the keys.

-Edit-

What I know of eastern flutes is that the key of the flute is the note that gets played with three fingers down.

For example, if I hold three fingers down and it gives a C, then the flute is in the key of C.

I believe with western flute it's all fingers down.

So the C key eastern flute would be considered G key in the west. Because if you were to hold down all fingers (6 fingers) on C key eastern flute, it would play the G note.

On a C key diatonic flute, we can play comfortably the scales, C major, G major, A minor, E minor. Playing anything else would require half-covering of holes, making it hard to play. If someone is playing a song in E minor scale, for example, we can know that the flute they playing has to be in the key of C or G.

Answer 1

You will need a reference instrument: a piano perhaps, or one of those pitch-pipes guitarists use when tuning their instrument.

If you listen for a while you may be able to decide "Ah! that's the very bottom note: that quiet one!", and then find it on your reference instrument.

Am I right in thinking there is a 'break' between the lowest octave and the octave above: where they meet? Perhaps the top note in the lowest octave is all fingers up and the lowest note in the top octave is all fingers down. Maybe it's awkward for the player to 'glissando' (slide) across that break. Or when he/she does, it sounds different from the glissando between, say, 2 fingers down and three fingers down. When you have heard where that break happens you can refer to your piano or pitch-pipe and find its pitch. Then you can work out what instrument is being played.

Sorry. I can't think of another way.

By the way, I think the dizi 'family' is similar to our recorder family. Recorders come in different sizes. Three fingers down can be C or G or a higher C or a higher G. All fingers down can be F or C or higher F or higher C. We don't call them recorder in C and recorder in F though, because each one has its own name: soprano, alto, tenor etc.

What a lovely sound it is. I'd like to try playing one, but I've never even been able to play one note on a flute.

Answer 2

Listen for cadences, where the music is at a rest point. Particularly the ones at the end of a verse, or chorus. They will generally provide a triad chord - here a minor triad. One of those notes - often the one played - will be the root of that triad, and thus be the tonic.

The notes here seem to be from a natural minor scale, which could also translate to its relative major. Which would be the key of the instrument.

Answer 3

Try to sing the melody, phrase by phrase. Usually a phrase ends on the first degree or if it is a half cadence on the fifth. In major this is do or so, in minor this is la or mi.

I would think the first step would be to find out the scale of the song, that would narrow down the options of the keys.

(If you don’t know the names of movable do re mi you can sing to find out the root note of the tune as intonation - instead of doremifasofamiredo or la ti do re mi mi mi mi - 123454321 or 1234555.

Like Tim says the tune is in minor, you can here easily the end of the first phrase: mi re do mi...

Most songs have this tendency to turn around the 5th in the middle and ending on the prime.

If you have identified the root tone you can find out the interval with a tuning fork to A 440 or with keyboard the interval to C.

The easy way is to play all the triads on the piano and compare by listening which chord fits with the last tone. If will be harder if its diatonic but tuned in on e of the black keys!)

If you sing the last tone in a tuning app of your mobile, you just play the minor or major triad and you will know the key.