Alicia Keys's Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down is in the key of F# Major, moving at 93 BPM. The Camelot code – tells you which neighbouring keys will sound smooth alongside it. Here's everything you need: scale, chords, raga, and related songs.
Scale & Notes of F# Major
The F# Major scale is built from these seven notes:
F#G#A#BC#D#F
Its relative key is D# Minor (same notes), and its parallel key is F# Minor. If you're transposing or looking for a vocal-comfortable key, those are the natural neighbours.
Chords in F# Major
The seven diatonic triads in this key — the chord palette most of the song will draw from:
| Degree | Chord | Quality |
|---|
| I | F# | Major |
| ii | G#m | Minor |
| iii | A#m | Minor |
| IV | B | Major |
| V | C# | Major |
| vi | D#m | Minor |
| vii° | Fdim | Diminished |
Indian Classical: the Purvi thaat
In Hindustani classical terms, F# Major maps to the Purvi thaat (Western mode: Double Harmonic Minor variant). Has ♭2, raised 4th (♯4), and ♭6 — closest Western parallel is the Double Harmonic Minor or Hungarian Minor scale. Deeply evocative of twilight and endings. Traditional listening time: Sunset to evening.
If you want to sing or practise in this key, set your tonic (Sa) to F#. Ragas built on this thaat:
- Purvi — Double harmonic minor variant — ♭2 ♯4 ♭6, rich augmented intervals. Profound, twilight, endings.
- Shree — Purvi with emphasis on ♭2 — very serious and devotional. Devotional, solemn (Sunset).
- Gauri — Purvi scale, gentler execution — less chromatic movement. Serene, feminine.
- Paraj — Purvi with some Marwa phrases — hybrid at sunset. Twilight, melancholic.
Set Tanpura to F# →Practise in this key →Find another song's key →
Harmonic mixing (for DJs)
Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Broken Down sits at Camelot –. For a smooth harmonic transition, mix it with tracks in 1B, 2A, 3B — adjacent keys on the Camelot wheel that share most of their notes.