At 177 BPM, To Live a Life by First Aid Kit sits in F# Major (Camelot –). This tempo and key combination is common in dance and uptempo music. Below are the chords, scale notes, and harmonically compatible keys for mixing or producing in this groove.
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)
To Live a Life 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.