remote keys

The key usually identifies the tonic note and/or chord: the note and/or major or minor triad that represents the final point of rest for a piece, or the focal point of a section.

There are songs that might as well not have a key, with so many accidentals that it basically becomes tonal soup. However, even those have a key to start with. A key signature simply tells you seven of the twelve normal tones the song is written to use.

Technically, keys are these things you see as white and black articles on the piano. Those are piano keys, right? Piano notes are the notes that the keys make. In other words, when I press a piano key, it makes a piano pitch of some sort.

The main pitches used in a song are usually all from one particular scale, and this is where we name the song's key from. For example, if a song only uses notes from the C Major scale, it is likely that the song is “in the key of C Major”. This would mean no sharps or flats – C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.

At the top of a well-written chart, you'll see a clef & a time signature, and in between them is a key signature - the number of sharps or flats tell you what key the song is in.

In music a key is the major or minor scale around which a piece of music revolves. A song in a major key is based on a major scale. A song in a minor key is based on a minor scale. A song played in the 'key of C major' revolves around the seven notes of the C major scale – C, D, E, F, G, A, and B.

The key of a song is the note or chord the music is centered around, the tonic. For instance, if you were playing in the key of C, the C major chord would be the tonic, or 1, chord. You can view the guitar chord key chart to see the rest of the chords in the key of C.

Major and minor keys Major keys are based on a major scale, and minor keys are based on a natural minor scale. For example, the key of C major consists of the notes from the C major scale, and the key of A minor consists of the notes from the A natural minor scale.

So that's how I identify the key of any piece of music:

• Identify which major scale the key represents (look for the last sharp, or last flat).
• Locate the relative minor scale (count down a minor 3rd).
• Look at the start and end chordsto determine whether the music is major or minor.

The key will define the makeup of your song and give you certain information about that song. For example, a song's key determines: The musical scale . A scale identifies which notes to use for your melodies and harmonies.

The timbre of an instrument (or voice) can make certain keys sound different from others. A piece in C major, for example, may resonate differently than one in E flat major due to the design and range of the instrument.

Technically, keys are these things you see as white and black articles on the piano. Those are piano keys, right? Piano notes are the notes that the keys make. In other words, when I press a piano key, it makes a piano pitch of some sort.