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Music and Karaoke -
Music Articles
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Written by Michelle Edward
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Tuesday, 09 March 2010 14:14 |
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When a piece of music is written it is certainly written in a particular key, whether that be the key of Bb or maybe even E. By looking at the beginning of the score you can see what flats or sharps will be used and can determine then which scale has been used to write the song.
by MichelleEdward
When a piece of music is written it is certainly written in a particular key, whether that be the key of Bb or maybe even E. By looking at the beginning of the score you can see what flats or sharps will be used and can determine then which scale has been used to write the song.
A key signature is included in each and every musical piece. This information is written right after the clef (shown on the staff) and is explained with symbols stating the number of flats (b) and the number of sharps (#). As you look over the beginning of the lines of music you will recognize a grouping of flats and sharps, which are not ever used simultaneously. They will appear separately on a space or on a line of the music staff and will be placed with the specific notes that will be affected by them. For example, if the music is to played using an F#, the sharp symbol, the #, will be placed on the top line of the staff. This will tell the person that is reading the music that each time an F is played, no matter if it is on top of the staff, in the first space, or below or able the staff (indicated by the ledger lines), this note should be placed as F#.
If the music requires that the note be played in a different way, not as a flat or sharp as indicated in the key signature, there will be an accidental just in front of the note to indicate it being played as a natural note. An example of this would be if the piece has been indicated to play all F notes as sharp but in one section it is needed played as a natural, the accidental will be placed just before the note that is different.
The main purpose of the key signature is to limit the number of flats or sharps noted in the music. In other words, rather than placing a # by the note F every time it occurs in the music, it's much easier to indicate to the musician that all Fs are to be played as F#s. Without key signatures, written music would be cluttered with sharps and flats making it very difficult to read.
The most common key signatures are listed below along with the notes that are affected by them:
Key of C: Includes no flats or sharps
Key of G: Includes one sharp (F#)
Key of D: Includes two sharps (C# and F#)
Key of A: Includes three sharps (G#, F# and C#)
Key of E: Includes four sharps (D#, F#, C# and G#)
Key of F: Includes one flat (Bb)
Key of Bb: Includes two flats (Eb and Bb)
Key of Eb: Includes three flats (Ab, Eb, and Bb)
There is also a relative minor assigned to each key. While it is true that in nearly all ways the major and the relative minor that coincides with it are similar (they use the same scale even though they begin in different places), they are not considered the same. The note that can be found a minor third down from the major (key) is called the relative minor. You can think of it in another way by remembering the sixth note in the major scale is the relative minor. As an example, The C major scale has a sixth note of A so an A minor is the relative minor to C. It is very common to use the relative minor of the key and if you gain a good understanding of them you will find that you have a better understanding of the chord progressions in the song.
Here are some keys and their relative minors (keys).
A minor is the relative minor for C.
B minor is the relative minor for D.
F# minor is the relative monitor for A.
G minor is the relative minor for Bb.
When a musician is experienced and plays his music in a nontraditional setting, like when they play free style with not music to read, all he really needs to know is the key that the music was written in and he will be able to play the scales or melodies and the necessary chords that will allow them to play the song freestyle.
Last of all, it is very common for a song to change keys before the end of the song. Musicians that are newer to the musical industry may find this very challenging.
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