Galway Girl by Ed Sheeran is in the key of G# Major, with a tempo of 99 BPM and a Camelot code of 4B. Below are the full scale notes, the diatonic chords you can play over it, the Indian classical raga that maps to this key, and other songs in the same key for harmonic mixing or practice.
Scale & Notes of G# Major
The G# Major scale is built from these seven notes:
G#A#CC#D#FG
Its relative key is F Minor (same notes), and its parallel key is G# Minor. If you're transposing or looking for a vocal-comfortable key, those are the natural neighbours.
Chords in G# Major
The seven diatonic triads in this key — the chord palette most of the song will draw from:
| Degree | Chord | Quality |
|---|
| I | G# | Major |
| ii | A#m | Minor |
| iii | Cm | Minor |
| IV | C# | Major |
| V | D# | Major |
| vi | Fm | Minor |
| vii° | Gdim | Diminished |
Indian Classical: the Bhairavi thaat
In Hindustani classical terms, G# Major maps to the Bhairavi thaat (Western mode: Phrygian (all-komal / flat everything)). Closest to the Phrygian mode — most notes are flat (komal). The most versatile and 'universal' raga of Hindustani music, sung at the end of concerts. Evokes deep pathos. Traditional listening time: Early morning / concert finale.
If you want to sing or practise in this key, set your tonic (Sa) to G#. Ragas built on this thaat:
- Bhairavi — Phrygian — ♭2 ♭3 ♭6 ♭7, all natural notes allowed in ascent. Pathos, farewell, longing.
- Malkauns — Minor pentatonic ♭2 (Sa ga ma dha ni) — very dark, nocturnal. Dark, mystical, powerful (Late night).
- Chandrakauns — Pentatonic minor ♭2 variant of Malkauns. Meditative, moonlit (Night).
- Sindhura — Bhairavi with raised 4th (♭2 ♭3 ♯4 ♭6 ♭7). Romantic, graceful.
Set Tanpura to G# →Practise in this key →Find another song's key →
Harmonic mixing (for DJs)
Galway Girl sits at Camelot 4B. For a smooth harmonic transition, mix it with tracks in 3B, 4A, 5B — adjacent keys on the Camelot wheel that share most of their notes.