What is the most depressing key in music?

Answer 1

The minor keys are usually employed for downbeat sound. However, if you want a more in depth answer, it gets more complicated (Music Theory students this is for you).

The C minor can usually be made to sound sad, but it is also used sometimes to give the image of hopeless love. D-flat major is usually used when grieving and D minor is a more subtle sadness. Then D-sharp minor is a more inward, phantom-like sadness, full of fear and despair. Variations of D are not generally very happy keys. D-flat minor can also sound creepy and scary too. E major and E minor are both very sad keys; E major has the characteristic of loss of hope and E minor sounds very dark and angry. F major has a cold icy feel to it (it gives the image of having to accept what you can't have) and there's also F minor, which has a miserable and depressed sound to it, and F-sharp minor, which is not necessarily sad, but it is pouty and unsatisfied. F-sharp Major has a grumpy, sour feel to it and G minor was the key Mozart used to express tragedy. Skipping to A-flat major, here is the Grim Reaper's messenger; this key is used when implying death or thoughts of death, not suicidal, mind you, but tearful release and A-flat major also has a longing feel to it. When A-flat is in minor, it brings feelings of struggling, almost desperate striving. A major is also quite sad, but more of a subtle sadness like D minor. B-flat minor involves more self-anguish and anger towards self, the kind of key that curses at the world and everything in it. B major is a powerful key for screaming despair and sadness to the world; however, it is not always the best for sadness, since it is power in general, also used in envy and rage, and B major also signifies the feeling of being lost. Finally B minor was once regarded as the key of passive suffering and out of all these I personally think E major is the worst key to listen to, it brings me tears whenever I hear it.

Those should be all the different shades sadness found in different keys. As mentioned, minor keys are usually sad keys, but like with any language, there are exceptions. For example, A minor is a key of gentleness and kindness, rather than sadness. Anyway, these are not all the musical keys possible and they are arranged alphabetically starting from C, rather than by the circle of fifths, but here's hoping you found what you were looking for!

Answer 2

The common consensus among composers and musicians is that the key of D minor is considered the saddest, or most depressing key. E flat minor is also a suitable key to use to convey depression and sadness.

Answer 3

Uncertain whether the question refers to "key" as in "tonality" -- in which case, there is no such thing as "lowest key".

Perhaps the questioner means "key" as in "key on the piano". The typical full-sized piano goes down to a low A (notated below the sixth ledger line below the bass clef). Some specially-made pianos have an additional three semitones below that (going to a low F), but these notes are rarely called upon in the standard repertoire. Some performers claim the low strings add a deeper sense of resonance to the instrument.

Answer 4

Most people agree that D minor is the saddest of all keys.

In my opinion, E major/C sharp minor is the saddest key, but that's just me.