The key-signatures tag has no wiki summary.
2
votes
1answer
89 views
Strange key signature?
I have some experience reading music, but today I came across a Bartok piece, "Melody with Accompaniment", part of Mikrokosmos Vol. 2. The key signature has one sharp, C#.
I was under the impression ...
4
votes
2answers
367 views
What is a key signature?
I'm trying to learn the flute and I bought a book that is supposed to help me learn. In one of the first chapters it describes something about key signatures and the circle of fifths and I'm ...
6
votes
3answers
608 views
How many (major and minor) keys are there? Why?
I am wondering about how many major and minor keys there are and why.
Here are some suggestions:
24 keys
One could argue that there should be one major and one relative minor key for each of the 12 ...
3
votes
1answer
156 views
Why is B flat in this key sigiture when B is never played?
In the below sheet music B is marked as flat however the only notes played are g g g d e c C. Is that just a typo on the part of the person who made this image and it should be on the upper C or am I ...
5
votes
4answers
726 views
Why does the Dorian mode on C have two flats?
I'm studying scale modes and I just found on Wikipedia that the Dorian mode on C has two flats...
Why is this? Because the Dorian mode is just the major scale (Ionian) starting from the second ...
7
votes
4answers
411 views
Is G sharp major a real key?
I'm mostly self-taught, so I don't know much in the way of theory beyond the basics. I have heard of G sharp Major a few times. I believe a scale in the key goes as such: G♯, A♯, B♯, C♯, D♯, E♯, Fx, ...
3
votes
2answers
528 views
F# major vs Gb major?
I was looking at Dvorak's Humoresque (op 101 n 7) : it's mostly in Gb major, in the middle it changes to F# minor. This would have looked more natural for me if F# major instead of Gb major were ...
6
votes
3answers
211 views
Why are the notes in a key signature in a specific order?
See: http://www.8notes.com/school/theory/key_signatures.asp
It says that sharps should be defined in the key signature in this specific order: FCGDAEB
While flats should be defined in this order: ...
7
votes
6answers
1k views
How to select a key-signature for a song
There are so many songs in pretty odd key-signatures like 4,5,6 sharps or flats. At least this is my impression when I listen to songs on the radio/net while trying to follow them on my piano/guitar. ...
10
votes
4answers
592 views
With sheet music, how do you determine whether the song is in the major key or the minor key?
For example, if the key signature on the left doesn't have any sharps or flats then it could theoretically be in either the C Major scale or the A Minor scale. How do you determine which one?
14
votes
6answers
1k views
Is it possible to write a song without a key?
"This song is in F Major", "That song is in A Minor", "This song is in D Minor, but modulates to F Major in the middle", etc.
Can we say "This song has no key"? Are there songs that have/follow no ...
10
votes
3answers
300 views
How can I easily translate between a key and a key signature?
Is there a good mnemonic or trick for working out the key signature from a given key? I can always write out the chromatic scale, then count out the appropriate intervals from the tonic, and figure ...
7
votes
1answer
587 views
What is this called? Why is it allowed?
"Golden Train" by Justin Nozuka (YouTube link below) is in the key of Ab major. However he uses a Cb major chord throughout the song, which is not in the key of Ab major. It sounds good and works ...
1
vote
1answer
226 views
A peculiarity in John Tompson's first grade book regarding key signatures
Back in the days when I was studying from John Thompson's First Grade Piano book, I had come across a peculiarity which I could not understand: in pages 13-15 there are pieces which are in the key of ...
7
votes
5answers
823 views
Equivalent Key Signatures
I've noticed that a variety of pieces in the classical repetoire (certainly at least the piano repetoire), label what seems to be effectively the same key signature differently. That is, I am not ...
23
votes
8answers
1k views
Key signature for writing in modes other than major and minor
I have trouble deciding what accidentals to put in the key signature for pieces in dorian, phrygian, lydian or mixolydian modes. There seem to be tradeoffs associated with each choice.
For example, ...
