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I have been searching for a while to try to correctly understand this. What exactly does it mean if for example a song is written in C Major? Does it mean the song's notes cannot contain any sharps or flats? Does it mean the song can only have chords from ABCDEFG but use the major chords of those scales which could mean sharps and flats? Any explanation on it would be really helpful. Thanks |
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To understand the answer to this question you need and understanding of these concepts:
A song is regarded as being in the key of C major if the pitch C is its key center, if the notes in the song chiefly fall in the C-major scale (as opposed to the C-minor scale, or one of the other scale-modes based on C), and the chord triad of C major serves the function of the tonic chord throughout the chord progressions in the song. There are exceptions to everything. A song would generally be regarded as being in the key of C major if it started out in C major, even if it ended in another key. Some songs stay in the same key all the way through, and some songs change keys. Or it could start in C major but incorporate chords borrowed from other keys, use melody notes outside of the notes in the C major scale, or it could leave the key of C major entirely at one point, only to return to C major before it ends. |
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Simply put, a song in the key of C Major will mostly contain notes from the C Major scale.
Music is a hearing art. When we write down the music, we base it on a set of rules/traditions/formats. For example, the same note that we play on the piano can be called a G♯ or an A♭ on paper: it's just based on convention. Having these conventions makes it easier for musicians to pick up the piece and play it. When they see 'C Major,' they will understand where the majority of the action will take place, and how the music should sound. Based on the notation, they'll not only be able to play any sharps and flats, but also will have a solid reference and will not have any confusion about what's going on in order to recreate the music themselves. |
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Both the existing answers are good. I want to add that depending on your definition of "song", it may not even have a defined key. If you sing Yankee Doodle and you start on a 'C', you're singing it in C major. If you sing Yankee Doodle and you start on a 'F', you're singing it in F major. The song doesn't have a key; your performance of it does. (Note: not all tunes begin with the root note of the key they are in. If you play the melody from Morning from Grieg's Peer Gynt, and you start on a 'G', you are playing it in C major. If you play that tune and you start with a 'C' you are playing it in F major.) When you perform a song, you necessarily pick a key, the moment you play the first note. When you write down a song, in most notations, you necessarily pick a key, because the notation requires that you write down absolute notes. Exceptions to this include Nashville numbers and Relative Sol-Fa Reasons for picking a particular key include:
Often there are compromises to be made. For example, you are singing and accompanying yourself on guitar. You think your C major chord on the guitar sounds particularly nice. But that means you have to play a Bb major later in the song, and you always mess those up, so you play in D instead -- but in D you find your voice strains to reach the lower notes, so you try playing in E instead. The more voices and instruments are involved, the more complicated this gets. |
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This answer is separate from my other one because it attempts give a more basic answer, to meet the bounty request.
In the most basic sense, yes, this is what it means. The melody and the chords will be constructed only from notes in C major scale -- and those are the white notes on a piano; no sharps or flats.
No. The chords will also only contain notes from the C major scale. So the major and minor chords you have available are: C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bm. These are the chords you get when you start on the note denoted in the chord name (C, D, ...), and play the third and fifth notes from there within the C major scale. Now, if you see a piece that has no sharps or flats, that's not enough to tell you whether it's in C major or A minor -- since both of those are played with no sharps or flats. To decide which it is, you must work out what the tonal "centre" of the melody is. This is a matter of feel, so it's not possible give a strict definition. But it's often (but not always) the first note of the melody; even more often (but not always) the final note of the melody; and it's a note that will often end phrases within the melody. So, if a tune has no sharps or flats, and seems to have a "home" at C, it's in C major. If it seems to have a "home" at A, it's A minor. If its "home" seems to be a note other than A or C, then the tune is in a more obscure (in Western music) "mode"; I suggest avoiding that topic until you are comfortable with the basics. The reason some of the other answers have been less clear, is that with more advanced pieces, things get more complex. If you sneak (for example) one Bb into a tune that's otherwise in C major, it's probably still C major. That's why we have to use words like "mostly". |
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First, you really need to have a good understanding of what major and minor scales are. Once you know that, you can more easily understand chords. Then, you should study basic chord progressions for each key, which are based on scales. You are not necessarily limited to the sharps and flats in a given key just because you are writing in that key, but you will generally stick to them, which means you are writing music in that key. Writing in C Major does mean there are no sharps and flats, but it is possible to have sharps and flats in the music by means of accidentals. It sounds as though you would really benefit from getting a private teacher out taking some theory classes. Good luck with your endeavors. |
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