what lead?

Well, with the exception of the Dm (where you'd expect to see D major) and the C#7 (which is a major chord where you'd expect to see a minor chord), you're in three sharps - A Major/ F# minor. Start with those and you'll find you've got to tinker with the odd note here and there but nothing that can't be fixed.

Best,

A :-)

To figure out keys, spell the chords:

F#m = F#-A-C#
C#7 = C#-E#-G#-B
Bm = B-D-F#
A = A-C#-E
Dm = D-F-A
E = E=G#-B

Then line up all the notes involved:

A-B-C#-D-E-E#-F-F#-G#

Next, you can simplify it by eliminating enharmonic notes (E# and F are the same tone):

A-B-C#-D-E-F-F#-G#

The next thing you'll notice is that you're left with all seven basic letter names, but one of them is used twice - you have both F and F#. That's the part that will require tweaking - you'll want to use the F note over chords containing F (the C#7 and Dm) and F# over chords containing F# (F#m, Bm). Either note can be used over the other chords.

Now that you've got a set of notes, you try to fit a scale name to it. Since chords form the harmony for a scale, you'll have one chord (literally, the 'one' chord, I/i) that has the same name as the scale. This chord will be a basic major or minor chord - no sevenths, ninths, suspensions, or altered chords - so your choices are:

F#m: F#-G#-A-B-C#-D/D#**-E/E#*
Bm: B-C#-D-E-F#-G/G#**-A/A#*
A: A-B-C#-D-E-F#-G#
Dm: D-E-F-G-A-Bb/B**-C/C#*
E: E-F#-G#-A-B-C#-D#

* - used in the harmonic minor form
** - used in the melodic minor form

None of those is a perfect fit:

F#m: natural minor has all notes except E#(F); harmonic minor has all notes except E
Bm: natural minor has all the notes except F
A: all the notes except F
Dm: missing F#, G#; the melodic minor has the other notes, but the F and G in the scale will clash. Poor choice.
E: missing D#, and the D will clash.

Finally, you look for other clues for the root, and you've got a big one: a 7th chord. When a progression has only a single dominant 7th, it's a pretty safe bet that's the V chord. C#7 is the V of F#, so that makes F#m the key of choice.

Since the note that's 'off' in F#m is the E/E# (same pitch as F), you'll use

F# natural minor over the A and E chords
F# harmonic minor over the C#7 and Dm chords
and either one over the F#m and Bm... although the harmonic minor might work better, since it has the 'leading tone' (E#) that leads back to the root.

well thats to much for me to soak into the grey matter..sorry all that work you,ve done as well! i was kinda hoping some would say something like use a phrygian mode or dorian or mixolydian , lydian or something.......guess i overstepped this one its just that i like the chord progression and was hoping to record it and play lead dubbed over the top......hey! thanks anyway will read what you put and try harder. thanks best wishes barry

NoteBoat

I enjoyed that explanation very much. I know almost nothing on theory, but that was very helpful. Thanks.

Being the uneducated, self-taught musician that I am, I have always operated by these simple and GENERAL rules.

90% of the time, the very first chord in the song is the key, and therefore tells you which scale to use.

And in Rock music, 90% of the time the Minor Pentatonic scale is used over the entire chord progression.

So I would have said to try the F#m Pentatonic Scale. Very close answer to NoteBoat's.