5/27/2023 0 Comments All music keys![]() In Western music, a minor chord "sounds darker than a major chord". Unisons, fourths, fifths, and octaves and their compound interval must be perfect (or, rarely, diminished or augmented). Only the intervals of a second, third, sixth, and seventh (and the compound intervals based on them) may be major or minor (or, rarely, diminished or augmented). The words perfect, diminished, and augmented are also used to describe the quality of an interval. Chords and scales are described as major or minor when they contain the corresponding intervals, usually major or minor thirds.Ī major interval is one semitone larger than a minor interval. The words derive from Latin words meaning "large" and "small," and were originally applied to the intervals between notes, which may be larger or smaller depending on how many semitones (half-steps) they contain. A composition, movement, section, or phrase may also be referred to by its key, including whether that key is major or minor. In Western music, the adjectives major and minor may describe an interval, chord, scale, or key. For the academic disciplines, see Academic major and Academic minor. ![]() It is an awesome app to push your musicianship to new levels.This article is about the musical concept. If you would like to have a useful iOS app for music theory and ear training, then might I suggest Tenuto. Now that you’re good with this, it’s time to proceed to The Basics of Music Theory – Part 4 (Cycle of 4ths). If you missed our last part in this series, then check out The Basics of Music Theory – Part 2 (Intervals & the Major Scale). Therefore, the first key is that of C major (or A minor) in the chart below giving all the sharp and flat major and minor key signatures. ![]() All the notes in that key are considered “natural”. The key of C major mentioned above has no sharps or flats. This makes the notes of A minor A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The notes of the relative minor, A minor, begin on the sixth degree. The notes in C major are C, D, E, F, G, A, B, and C (scale degree: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7). The relative minor of a major begins on the sixth degree of the major scale. The minor key “related” to the major is called the relative minor and vice versa (relative major). The first is the major and the second is the minor. Key Signature RelativesĮach key signature can indicate two actual keys. Therefore, other notes can be added using accidentals (sharps or flats not found in the key signature). Obviously, this would restrict composers from true expression. The key signature of E major generally confines the piece to using the notes in the key of E major. if the key signature says F-sharp, then you need to play all notes appearing to be F as F-sharp). It also indicates that when you see that particular note, at any place on the staff, it would need to be played according to the key signature (i.e. Hence, a key signature that has the notes of E major specifies that the entire piece is in E major. This would make reading notation very cumbersome. Therefore, it is just a device to indicate what specific key you are playing in for that particular piece.Īll music could be written without a key signature but then all the accidentals of a key would need to be written every time they were needed in the music. It is the sharps or flats that come from the major scale that defines the piece of music you are playing. I mention the words “music notation” because I know some guitarists read tablature and key signatures do not exist in tablature. The key signature is found at the beginning of every line of music in a given piece of music notation. That brings us to today’s subject, key signatures. With the scale comes the identifying of keys. In our last installment ( The Basics of Music Theory – Part 2 (Intervals & the Major Scale)) we covered the major scale.
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