CH 4- Musical Keys and Key Signatures

1. The Musical Key

  • First level of organization in tonal music

  • The key defines basic pitches for a piece of music

  • Defines what notes can be used to create expected sound

Key Signatures

  • Used to indicate which notes are sharp/ flat in a piece; helps eliminate the need for accidentals

  • Apply to common keys/ scales and rarely with enharmonic keys

  • A few Rules:

    • When music changes key, it changes to a closely related key

    • Closest related key is relative minor

    • Other keys to modulate to are next to original key on the key circle (either one to left or right)

    • Other modulation you can make is from a major to a parallel minor

2.About Key Signatures

  • Made up of order and logic

  • Two Varieties: Sharp and flat keys

  • Order of how individual notes appear

    • Order of sharps: FCGDAEB

    • Order of flats: BEADGCF

  • First key on the flat side is F or Flat

Sharp Key Trick

  • Name the last sharp (All the way to the right)

  • Go one note higher than the last sharp = Name of the key

  • ****Only works when looking at a key

Flat Key Trick

  • Find the second-to-last flat (Right)

  • Name of note is the name of the key

  • ****Exception for FMaj which has one flat

Circle Moves in Fourths and Fifths

  • Sharp keys move in fifths around the circle; sharps are fifths apart

  • Flat keys move in fourths around the circle; flats are fourths apart

  • Remember: A fifth up is the same as a fourth down

    • Same explanation for order of sharps and flats

    • Sharps spaced fifth apart starting from F

    • Flats spaced fourth apart starting from B

3.Relative Minor Keys

Shared Signatures

  • Major keys indicate major key, but also indicate minor key

    • Concept called Relative Keys and relative minor

    • Ex. Eb Major and C minor

  • The minor scale is a mode of the major scale

Naming Minor Keys

  • Name Major key

  • Count up M6 or m3

  • If note you pick has a sharp or flat in that key, the name of the minor key needs to reflect that

  • ****Sixth note of the scale names the relative minor

5. Minor Keys on paper

  • You usually see harmonic or melodic minor scales in music, not natural minor

    • Cause need for very specific accidentals