Questions tagged [key-signatures]
In musical notation, a set of sharp or flat symbols placed together at left side of each staff, effectively indicating the default pitch class set of the notes to follow.
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What are the natural and sharp signs between the repeat signs for?
What do the natural and sharp signs in the middle of the repeat symbols mean?
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Natural in key signature
Something I haven't run across before. In an exercise, the beginning of the staff has the key signature of A. However, past a double bar, there's a natural in the G space and sharps on the F line and ...
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How to read the key signature from Biber's 15th sonata?
This is from Heinrich Franz Biber's Mystery Sonata 15:
The key signature is odd in that the F# appears in both octaves and the C# appears in its usual place, but an octave below it's natural. Does ...
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Confused about the natural symbol (♮) and the omnipresence of the C major scale in music theory
Something is confusing me in our use of accidentals in modern music theory, and more particularly about the use of the natural symbol ♮.
It is not always easy to formulate accurately a mess of ...
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Why is this A major blues notated in C major?
The sheet music for Charlie Byrd’s Spanish Guitar Blues (produced by Columbia Music Co., © 1961) is in the key of C major, but it seems obvious to me that the piece is in A major.
I understand that ...
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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 ...
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Why do key signatures switch from flats to sharps at a certain mode brightness?
I'm looking at Hooktheory's Key Cheat Sheet Index. I've noticed that for each key signature where the root is a black note, the choice to use a sharp or flat in the key signature's name changes in ...
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Pomp and circumstance march no. 1 Edward Elgar F horn and trumpet written without key signature - which C was it transposed to?
I am transcribing Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March no. 1 in Musescore. Here is the part of the score was puzzling me until I read this question.
You can see that the Horn and Trumpet are ...
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Why is the G flat major key signature written with a flat on the lower G and not the higher one?
I was going over the circle of fifths as part of theory, and I was trying to write out the G-flat key signature. I put the G-flat in where the red flat is in the image below, but I realized that the ...
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Confusing clarinet key signature changes
I am reading through a miniature score book of the Vorspiel (Prelude) of Die Meistersinger Von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner. It's a piece for orchestra, including two B-flat clarinets.
The clarinet ...
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F# major vs Gb major?
I was looking at Dvořák's Humoresque (op 101 n 7) : it's mostly in G♭ major, in the middle it changes to F♯ minor. This would have looked more natural for me if F♯ major instead of G♭ major were used. ...
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Are sharp keys "bright" and flat keys "dark"?
I was reading this book and on the "Circle of Fifths" chapter, it claims that keys with sharp key signatures (C, G, D, ...) are "often thought by musicians" to be "bright"...
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What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom? [duplicate]
Backstory:
Beginner Piano player, self teaching, just trying to learn how to interpret key signatures
Problem:
Here I am puzzled:
This key signature details 6 notes to be flats.
The sequence left to ...
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What do these unusual signs in the key signature mean?
In Thesaurus of Oriental Hebrew Melodies by Abraham Zevi Idelsohn in 1923, I found this unusual key signature:
I know that the more typical notation for the little X in the key signature is used for ...
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"Ut" and "La" notation on horn and cornet instruments in orchestral score?
I'm looking at an orchestral score from the late 1800's (well, OK, it's "The Mikado" by Arthur Sullivan).
In the portion of the score that I am looking at, the non-transposing instruments all have no ...
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Why is F sharp the only sharp Major Diatonic Harmonica offered and why is there no G flat harmonica?
I tune my guitar half step flat to make it easier to sing the songs I love to play. I also play harmonica along with guitar on many songs that feature a harmonica solo (Neil Young's "Heart of Gold" ...
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Why did Albéniz write in C♭ instead of B?
I'm referring to Evocación, the first movement of Iberia, which is in the key of C flat (7 flats, every note flat). The key of B uses exactly the same hotes, but using 5 sharps instead of 7 flats. To ...
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Can a key signature express Phrygian mode (not just major or minor)?
Relative modes share the same note.
I was told the key signature could mean either major or minor.
But can it not also mean the other five modes like Phrygian, Locrian, etc.?
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Why is the key typically the first and/or last note (or chord) of a song?
Is there a strategical reason when composing for the key to commonly be the first and/or last note (or chord) of a song?
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What is the meaning of the affixed paragraph on Sharps?
I am having a doubt with regard to the below portion of a textbook I am studying. I am new to music theory and therefore, the doubt that I have might sound trivial. But, Kindly help.
It says that when ...
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Modulating to new keys in blues
I found many threads and YouTube videos on modulation in general, but not specific to blues.
I’m getting pretty good at the basic I-IV-V progression in blues, playing some old delta-style or BBking ...
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Modulation across the circle of fifths
After studying some of the theory surrounding performing smooth-sounding modulations between keys in an effort to make more interesting compositions, I have come to understand that the circle of ...
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Why does Musescore interpret Westergaard's A-flat as G? Seeking Clarification on Pitch Spelling
I was reviewing some rules from Peter Westergaard's An Introduction to Tonal Theory. I am really only literate in the key of C major, and so I was notating one of Westergaard's example in MuseScore ...
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Do enharmonic keys have a preferred name?
i.e do we refer to the key of F# more than the key of Gb or are they truly interchangeable and referred to equally? Or does the context matter?
(I’m trying to get a clear hold on what keys are more ...
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Why does the circle of fifths only show some notes that are enharmonically equivalent?
I was wondering why the circle of fifths only has three keys that are enharmonically equivalent at the bottom of it namely, C#/Db, Gb/F#, B/Cb. Why only those three? Can’t the other notes in the ...
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On Noteflight, I would like to change the staff (score) key signature. How do I do this without keeping absolute pitch? (It adds accidentals.)
Here is what it looks like before:
The key signature change only adds accidentals to the 'affected" notes. Thus, even a staff/score transposition does not solve my problem:
If the score were ...
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Why are different keys necessary / important? [duplicate]
If all major key songs can be played in C major, then why do people play them in other keys? Assume there is no singer involved and we're just talking about what sounds "good". My understanding is ...
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How do find the key signature in "Fantasia on Greensleeves" [closed]
Can someone verify if Ralph Vaughan Williams "Fantasia on Greensleeves" is played in F natural minor/melodic minor scale or C minor, if not which key signature?
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How to notate altered diatonic scales (in this case Mixolydian ♭6)? [duplicate]
If I am notating a piece that's in [mostly] a C Mixolydian ♭6 scale (B♭ and A♭), what approach to notation would be most easily read?
Notate everything in a non-standard key signature, B♭, E♮, and A♭...
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Key signing using fingers
I posted a similar question a long time ago, and think it was thrown out. However, still looking for an answer.
When busking at a gig, it's often impossible to communicate the key of a piece, due to ...
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Learning a new piece -- tips to make sure to get all the notes accurately from the start (piano)
As a self-learning piano beginner, I make tons of colored markings in the score of a new piece. First I must highlight all the notes that are included in the key signature so as not to forget they ...
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I’m looking for information/references on how we developed the Major Mode (Scale/Key) [closed]
As the title says, I’m looking for some information on the history of how the Major Mode (Scale,Key) was developed/designed. I already know a little bit, that is, I am not completely new to the topic, ...
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Custom scale and key signature
I am currently experimenting with microtonality in LilyPond. Mainly, I would like to switch to the Pythagorean tuning and lower or raise pitches by a syntotic comma, as in the this snippet. However, ...
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Why use accidentals instead of a key signature?
Using my ears, I determined the key of Theme from Schindler's List to be D minor. Looking at the sheet music that I have, I saw that the key signature is C major/A minor, but every single B in the ...
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Collective word for sharps and flats in the key signature
On a mailing list I'm subscribed to, someone recently asked what the collective name was in English for the sharps and flats you find in the key signature. Apparently, the closest translation from ...
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Gymnopedie no 1 key signature [closed]
I have a handbell arrangement of Gymnopedie with Bb in the signature. Normally you know that means key of Fmaj. Is it Fmaj?
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How do the notes on the treble and bass staves here correspond to each other? (Mozart K331 Mvmt 1 Var. V Measure 100)
In this measure 100 of the Variation V of Mozart's K.331, I'm trying to get it right which note on the treble staff is played at the same moment as which note on the bass staff. In the image I drew ...
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Is it okay to change the key signature in the middle of a bar?
In music notation, is it okay to change the key signature within a measure? Or should I split the meter into two for that?
For example, I have the following four quarter notes in one measure with:
𝄞 ♭...
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Do accidentals override key signature and previous accidentals?
I am wondering how the accidental in the first chord (see what is circled) is played? Does any accidental simply move the note up or down a half-step from what the note is supposed to be based on the ...
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Are accidentals in the key signature and measure additive?
If I have a flat for a note in the key signature, and then in a bar the same note with an flat symbol, does that mean the note is "double flatted"?
For example in the key of D Minor with ...
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What’s the correct key analysis for this excerpt?
From the ABRSM G5 workbook.
To my mind the excerpt could be in F minor or B flat minor, both contain flat BED (and A). The answer given is B flat minor; why is it not F minor?
(Saw this after posting: ...
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accidentals of the treble and bass clef
I don't understand why we have to write the key signature on the bass line?
It's already precise on the treble line, so we already know the tonality of the piece.
What's more, is it possible in this ...
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How do scales actually help a person play in a different key?
I've recently started the piano, and I want to learn all my scales so I know them, but I just can't seem to grasp how these scales actually help when I have a different key signature, sure I know the ...
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How do I recognize the key of a song that doesn't have a "home chord"?
I've just started learning music theory so i don't know if my question is understandable.
I've been searching on google, youtube, and here how to be able to recognize the key a song is in by ear, or ...
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In which cadence can parents reasonably expect multiple key signatures to be introduced in piano instruction?
If a child starts to play the piano at six (at or about the beginning of Grade 1) with a teacher, reading sheet music from the first lesson, at what point can one reasonably expect the pupil/teacher ...
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Dvorak's Humoresque No7 in G♭ Major - is the key signature part of the joke?
This week's assignment from my violin teacher is Dvorak's Humoresque No7. As I'm a "good beginner" (started playing 17 months ago) he gave me the easier G transposition rather than the ...
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Is Fantaisie Impromptu actually in G# Phrygian?
I’m new to music theory and the definition of key I’ve learned seems to contradict established fact. I’ve been told that the tonic of a piece is the key where the melody comes to rest, where it feels ...
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microtonal accidentals and theoretical key signatures
In microtonal music, theoretically, microtonal accidentals can be placed to key signature.
So can we think microtonal key signatures as a kind of theoretical key signatures?
I really appreciate any ...
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How can I create a mid-measure key-signature in Finale?
I have a key-signature half-way a measure. I discovered clef change mid-measure, but not key-signatures. Is that possible?
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Why have I never found any music written in the key of C Sharp Major?
Music is written in almost every key that corresponds to every note that is on my piano keyboard. There is clearly a C Sharp (black key right of C) on my piano keyboard but I don't recall ever seeing ...
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