Heavy Soul

Heavy Soul by The Black Keys runs at 86 BPM in the key of A Major. That Camelot code of – makes it easy to find tracks that blend seamlessly with it. Scroll down for the full chord palette, scale breakdown, and raga mapping for this key.

Scale & Notes of A Major

The A Major scale is built from these seven notes:

ABC#DEF#G#

Its relative key is F# Minor (same notes), and its parallel key is A Minor. If you're transposing or looking for a vocal-comfortable key, those are the natural neighbours.

Chords in A Major

The seven diatonic triads in this key — the chord palette most of the song will draw from:

Indian Classical: the Khamaj thaat

In Hindustani classical terms, A Major maps to the Khamaj thaat (Western mode: Mixolydian). Mixolydian mode — major scale with a flat 7th. Common in blues, rock, and folk. Earthy, sensuous quality. Traditional listening time: Late evening to night.

If you want to sing or practise in this key, set your tonic (Sa) to A. Ragas built on this thaat:

• Khamaj — Mixolydian with both ♮7 and ♭7 (ascending/descending difference). Sensuous, romantic.
• Des — Mixolydian pentatonic (omits 2nd & 6th). Patriotic, folk-like (Late night).
• Jaijaiwanti — Mixolydian with both ♭3 and ♮3 — complex chromatic tension. Majestic, complex (Midnight).
• Tilak Kamod — Mixolydian with added ♭3 colour notes. Light, amorous (Night).
• Jhinjhoti — Mixolydian ♭3 (between Dorian and Mixolydian). Gentle, devotional (Night).

Set Tanpura to A →Practise in this key →Find another song's key →

Harmonic mixing (for DJs)

Heavy Soul sits at Camelot –. For a smooth harmonic transition, mix it with tracks in 10B, 11A, 12B — adjacent keys on the Camelot wheel that share most of their notes.