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According to Spotify, listeners stream more songs in the key G major than in any other key. But what makes G major such a great key signature?
G major is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F♯. And therein lies the first reason. G major only has one sharp.
G major's key signature has one sharp—F♯. That means it's almost as easy to play the G major piano scale as it is to play the C major scale, which has no sharps or flats.
In fact, the guitar chords for G major are easy to play and remember.
While on the piano it's easy to play the C major scale, G major is the most popular key for songs to be written in because as well as being the second easiest key to play in for pianists, it's by far the easiest for guitarists.
Furthermore, G major is a very ergonomic key for both guitar and piano—two instruments that are often used in popular and classical Western music.
It's for these reasons that G major makes a great key for composing and performing songs in. But they've known that for centuries.
One of Johann Sebastian Bach's most famous works is the Concerto in G major, one of a group of five concerto transcriptions made by the German composer and musician in Weimar around 1713.
In Baroque music, G major was regarded as the "key of benediction," a reference to the fact that it was a common key for hymns and other religious songs, benediction being the utterance of a blessing, especially at the end of a religious service.
Of the 555 keyboard sonatas composed by Domenico Scarlatti (1685–1757), G major is the home key for 69, or about 12.4%, of them.
Twelve of Joseph Haydn's 106 symphonies are in G major. In addition, G major is the home key of Mozart's celebrated Eine kleine Nachtmusik.
Ludwig van Beethoven regularly used G major. For him, G major was a key for optimism and cheerful energy, a belief exemplified in his Piano Sonatas No. 10, No. 16, No. 20, and No. 25, and several violin sonatas, including No. 8 and No. 10.
And Johannes Brahms used the key in three major chamber music compositions: String Sextet No. 2 Op. 36, Violin Sonata No. 1 Op. 78, and String Quintet No. 2 Op.
Musicologists are on the same page when analyzing the appeal of G major. The key produces a clean, dynamic sound, a quality that makes it an extremely versatile scale to work with.
According to Pitch Perfect Tuning, the emotional characteristics of G major are summed up thus: "Everything rustic, idyllic and lyrical, every calm and satisfied passion, every tender gratitude for true friendship and faithful love—in a word every gentle and peaceful emotion of the heart is correctly expressed by this key."
G major, however, can be the root for all kinds of tracks, anything from tear-jerking ballads to thumping drum and bass.
And that's likely why much of the music listened to by people using Spotify is composed in the key of G major.
Nirvana's 1991 hit 'Lithium' is another one. It appears as the fifth track on the band's second album, 'Nevermind.'
Mariah Carey's seasonal standard 'All I Want for Christmas Is You,' released in 1994, is written in G major.
'Ziggy Stardust,' David Bowie's immortal track from his 1972 album 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars,' is a G major hit.
The power ballad 'Save a Prayer' by Duran Duran is written in the key of G major. It was a huge hit in 1982 for the English new wave band.
So what are some of the greatest songs written in the key of G major? Taylor Swift's 'Shake It Off' is in this key. It was the lead single from her fifth studio album, '1989,' released in 2014.
'Perfect' by Ed Sheeran is written in G major. It reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2017.
Track number two on side one of the Beatles' 1965 album is 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown),' composed in G major.
Madonna's 'Into the Groove,' which featured in the 1985 movie 'Desperately Seeking Susan,' is a G major dance standard.
Instantly recognized by its opening guitar hook, the Rolling Stones' first number one in the US '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction,' released in 1965, continues in G major.
Originally released in 1983 as their debut single, Run DMC rereleased 'It's Like That' in 1997—and it was still in G major.
Bob Dylan wrote 'Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door' and performed the song in G major. The track was written for the soundtrack of the 1973 film 'Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid,' in which Dylan himself appears.
A staple in Southern and classic rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd's 'Sweet Home Alabama,' is played in G major. The track was recorded in 1970.
Sources: (Spotify) (Hoffman Academy) (Mixed In Key) (Pitch Perfect Tuning)
See also: The most iconic American rock bands
What do Spotify's most streamed songs have in common?
The musical key to success!
MUSIC Tunes
Spotify recently revealed that most of its streamed songs are those written and recorded in the key of G major. For anyone interested in music theory, this should come as no surprise. G major is one of the most popular key signatures to learn, and is favored by numerous guitarists as well as pianists. And back in the day, many of the greatest classical music composers regularly used G major as the key in some of their most famous works. So, why does G major strike such a memorable chord with musicians and songwriters? Click through and find out!