It so happened that the most heartbreaking compositions were written in minor keys. It is believed that the major mode sounds cheerful, and the minor mode sounds sad. In that case, have a handkerchief ready: this entire lesson will be dedicated to “sad” minor modes. In it you will learn what these keys are, how they differ from major ones and how to play minor scales.
By the nature of the music, I think you will unmistakably distinguish between a cheerful, energetic major and a gentle, often sad, plaintive, and sometimes tragic minor. Remember the music and, and the differences between major and minor will become more than obvious to you.
I hope you haven't quit studying? I will remind you of the importance of these seemingly boring activities. Imagine that you stop moving and putting stress on your body, what will be the result? The body will become flabby, weak, and in places fat :-). It’s the same with your fingers: if you don’t train them every day, they will become weak and clumsy, and will not be able to play the pieces you love so much. So far you have only played major scales.
Let me tell you right away: minor scales are no smaller in size (and no less important) than major scales. They were just given such an unfair name.
Like major scales, minor scales are made up of eight notes, the first and last of which have the same name. But the order of intervals in them differs. The combination of tones and halftones in a minor scale is as follows:
Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone
Let me remind you that in major it is: Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Semitone
It may look like a combination of intervals in a major scale, but in fact the tones and semitones are in a different order. The best way to feel this sound difference - play and listen to the major and minor scales one after the other.
As you probably noticed, the main difference between the major and minor modes lies in the third degree, the so-called third tone: in a minor key it is lowered, forming with the tonic (m.3).
Another difference is that in major mode the composition of the intervals is always constant, but in minor it can change in the upper steps, which creates three different types of minor. Maybe it is precisely from this diversity of the minor that brilliant works are obtained?
So what are these different types, you ask?
There are three types of minor:
- natural
- harmonic
- melodic.
Each type of minor is characterized by its own composition of intervals. Up to the fifth stage, they are the same in all three, but at the sixth and seventh steps variations arise.
Natural minor– Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone
Harmonic minor differs from the natural one by the raised seventh degree: raised by half a tone, it is moved towards the tonic. The interval between the sixth and seventh steps thereby becomes wider - it is now one and a half tones (called an increased second - uv.2), which gives the scale, especially in the downward movement, a peculiar “oriental” sound.
In harmonic minor, the composition of the intervals is as follows: Tone - Semitone - Tone - Tone - Semitone - One and a half tone - Semitone
Another type of minor is melodic minor, also known as jazz minor (found in most jazz music). Of course, long before the appearance jazz music composers such as Bach and Mozart used this type of minor as the basis of their works.
In both jazz and classical music (and in other styles too), the melodic minor is distinguished by the fact that it has two degrees raised - the sixth and seventh. As a result, the order of intervals in the melodic minor scale becomes as follows:
Tone – Semitone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Tone – Semitone.
I like to call this scale a fickle scale because it can't decide whether to sound major or minor. Look again at the order of the intervals in it. Please note that the first four intervals are the same as in the minor scale, and the last four intervals are the same as in the major scale.
Now let's touch on the question of how to determine the number of key signs in a particular minor key.
Parallel keys
And here the concept emerges parallel keys.
Major and minor keys with the same number of signs (or without them, as in the case of C major and A minor) are called parallel.
They are always spaced apart by a minor third - the minor scale will always be built on the sixth degree of the major scale.
The tonics of parallel keys are different, and the composition of the intervals is different, but the ratio of white and black keys is always the same. This once again proves that music is a realm of strict mathematical laws, and, having understood them, you can move in it easily and freely.
Understanding the relationship between parallel keys is not so difficult: play the C major scale, and then the same one, but not from the first step, but from the sixth, and stop at the sixth at the top - you have played nothing more than a “natural minor” scale in the key of A minor.
In front of you list of parallel keys with their Latin designations and the number of key characters.
- C major/A minor - C-dur/a-moll
- G major/E minor - G-dur/e-moll (1 sharp)
- D major/B minor - D-dur/H-moll (2 sharps)
- A major/F-die minor - A-dur/f:-moll (3 sharps)
- E major/C sharp minor - E major/cis minor (4 sharps)
- B major/G sharp minor - H-dur/gis-moll (5 sharps)
- F-sharp major/D-sharp minor - Fis-dur/dis-moll (6 sharps)
- F major D minor - F-dur/d-moIl (1 flat)
- B-flat major/G minor - B-dur/g-moll (2 flats)
- E-flat major/C minor - E-dur/c-moll (3 flats)
- A-flat major/F minor - As-dur/F-moll (4 flats)
- D-flat major/B-flat minor - Des-dur/b-moll (5 flats)
- G-flat major/E-flat minor - Ges-dur/es-moll (6 flats)
Well, now you have an idea about the minor, and now all this knowledge can be put into practice. And we must start, of course, with scales. Below is a table of all existing major and parallel minor scales with all the fingerings (finger numbers). Take your time, don't rush.
Let me remind you how to play scales:
- Play slowly with each hand a scale of 4 octaves up and down. Note that in the sheet music app, finger numbers are given at the top and bottom of the notes. Those numbers that are above the notes refer to right hand, below - to the left.
- Note that Melodic minor, unlike the other two types minor scale, when moving up and down it will be built differently. This is due to the fact that in a downward movement, a sudden transition from major (with which the intervals of melodic minor coincide from the first degree to the fourth) to minor will not sound pleasant. And to solve this problem, the downward movement uses a natural minor - the seventh and sixth degrees return to the original position of the minor scale.
- Connect with both hands.
- Gradually increase the tempo of playing scales, but at the same time ensure that the playing is even and rhythmic.
In fact, a composer is not required to use all the notes from any scale in his melody. The composer's scale is a menu from which you can select notes.
The major and minor scales are without a doubt the most popular, but they are not the only scales that exist in music. Don't be afraid, experiment a little with the order of alternating intervals in the major and minor scales. Replace a tone somewhere with a semitone (and vice versa) and listen to what happens.
What will happen is that you will create a new scale: neither major nor minor. Some of these scales will sound great, others will sound terrible, and others will sound very exotic. Creating new scales is not only allowed, but even recommended. Fresh new scales give life to fresh new melodies and harmonies.
People have been experimenting with interval ratios since the dawn of music. And although most experimental scales have not gained such popularity as major and minor, in some musical styles these inventions are used as the basis of melodies.
And finally, I’ll give you a little interesting music in minor keys
Today I will tell you how to put the Em chord (E minor) in five positions on the guitar. Each position of the Em chord (E minor) is distinguished by its convenience, as well as the sound of the chord itself. For example: In the first and fourth positions, playing the Em chord (E minor) is much more convenient than in the third and fifth.
In any case, if you want to know and be able to play not only the Em chord (E minor), but also all major and minor chords, as well as play these chords on the guitar, then I advise you to get acquainted with.
The structure of the Em chord (E minor) on the guitar
If you look from the point of view music theory, then the Em chord (E minor) consists of minor E, G, B.
- Tonic or prima - E (E)
- Minor third - G (Salt)
- Perfect fifth - B (H) (B)
Explanations for fingerings
- Index finger.
- Middle finger.
- Ring finger.
- Little finger.
Fingerings of the Em chord (E minor) in five positions on the guitar
first positions:
Chord: Em:1
- 6, 3, 2 and 1 strings are open.
- We pinch the 5th string with our middle finger at the 2nd fret.
- We pinch the 4th string with our ring finger at the 2nd fret.
Fingering of the chord Em (E minor) in second positions:
Chord: Em:2
- The 6th string does not sound.
- We clamp 5 and 4 strings index finger on the 2nd fret using the barre technique.
- We pinch the 3rd string with our ring finger at the 4th fret.
- We pinch the 2nd string with our little finger at the 5th fret.
- We pinch 1 string with our middle finger at the 3rd fret.
Fingering of the chord Em (E minor) in thirds positions:
Chord: Em:3
- The 6th string does not sound.
- We pinch the 5th string with our little finger at the 7th fret.
- We pinch the 4th string with our middle finger at the 5th fret.
- We pinch the 3rd string with our index finger at the 4th fret.
- We pinch the 2nd string with our ring finger at the 5th fret.
Fingering of the chord Em (E minor) in fourth positions:
Chord: Em:4
- The 6th string does not sound.
- We hold the 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd and 1st finger on the 7th fret using the barre technique.
- We pinch the 4th string with our ring finger at the 9th fret.
- We pinch the 3rd string with our little finger at the 9th fret.
- We pinch the 2nd string with our middle finger at the 8th fret.
Fingering of the chord Em (E minor) fifth positions:
Chord: Em:5
- We pinch the 6th string with our ring finger at the 12th fret.
- We pinch the 5th string with our middle finger at the 10th fret.
- We pinch the 4th and 3rd strings with our index finger at the 9th fret.
- We pinch strings 2 and 1 with our little finger at the 12th fret.
Greetings to all readers of our music blog! I have already said more than once in my articles that for good musician It is important to have not only playing technique, but also to know theoretical foundations music. We already had an introductory article about it. I highly recommend that you read it carefully. And today the object of our conversation is signs in.
I would like to remind you that there are major and minor keys in music. Major keys can be figuratively described as bright and positive, while minor keys can be described as gloomy and sad. Each tonality has its own characteristic features in the form of a set of sharps or flats. They are called tonality signs. They can also be called key signs in keys or key signs in keys because before writing any notes and signs, you need to depict a treble or bass clef.
Based on the presence of key signs, keys can be divided into three groups: without signs, with sharps in the key, and with flats in the key. There is no such thing in music that the signs in the same key will be both sharps and flats at the same time.
And now I give you a list of tonalities and the key signs corresponding to them.
Key Chart
So, after carefully considering this list, there are several important points to note.
In turn, one sharp or flat is added to the keys. Their addition is strictly stipulated. For sharps the sequence is as follows: fa, do, sol, re, la, mi, si. And nothing else.
For flats the chain looks like this: si, mi, la, re, salt, do, fa. Note that it is the reverse of the sharps sequence.
You probably noticed the fact that the same number of characters have two tones. They are called . There is a separate detailed article about this on our website. I advise you to read it.
Determination of key signs
Now follows important point. We need to learn to determine by the name of the key what key signs it has and how many there are. First of all, you need to remember that signs are determined by major keys. This means that for minor keys you will first have to find a parallel major key, and then proceed according to the general scheme.
If the name of a major (except for F major) does not mention any signs at all, or only a sharp is present (for example, F sharp major), then these are major keys with sharp signs. For F major, you need to remember that B flat is in the key. Next, we begin to list the sequence of sharps, which was defined above in the text. We need to stop the enumeration when the next note with a sharp is a note lower than the tonic of our major.
- For example, you need to determine the signs of the key A major. We list the sharp notes: F, C, G. G is a note lower than the tonic of A, therefore the key of A major has three sharps (F, C, G).
For major flat keys the rule is slightly different. We list the sequence of flats up to the note that follows the name of the tonic.
- For example, our key is A flat major. We begin to list the flats: B, E, A, D. D is the next note after the name of the tonic (A). Therefore, there are four flats in the key of A flat major.
Circle of fifths
Circle of fifths keys- This graphic image connections between different tonalities and their corresponding signs. We can say that everything that I explained to you before is clearly present in this diagram.
As soon as a musician begins to learn something new piece of music, the first thing he does is determine the tonality. And it doesn’t matter what instrument the musician plays, does vocals, or just learns a solfeggio number. Without a clear understanding of tonality, learning a new piece is very difficult. And when it comes to harmony... The ability to build chords is entirely based on an understanding of tonality.
Key
What is tonality? The definitions of this word vary, depending on the stage of learning and on the author of the textbook. The following definitions of the word “tonality” are possible:
- Tonality is the name of the mode.
- Key is the height of the fret.
- Tonality is the pitch position of the fret ("Elementary Theory of Music", Sposobin).
- Tonality (classical) is a centralized, functionally differentiated, basically diatonic two-fret major-minor system of chord type, in which the chord is the main object of development, and the general patterns are determined by the principle of gravity-resolution (“Harmony in Western European music IX - beginning of XX century", L. Dyachkova).
There are major and minor keys, it depends on the underlying mode. Also, tonalities can be parallel, of the same name, and also enharmonically equal. Let's try to figure out what all this means.
Parallel, eponymous, enharmonically equal tonality
The main criteria by which tonality is determined are mode (major or minor), keys (sharps or flats, their number) and tonic (the most stable sound of the key, step I).
If we talk about parallel and identical tonalities, then the mode is always different. That is, if the keys are parallel, these are major and minor, if they are of the same name, it is the same.
Major and minor keys are called parallel in which identical key signs and various tonics. For example, these are C major (C-dur) and A minor (A-moll).
You can see that in natural major and minor the same notes are used in these keys, but the 1st degree and mode are different. It is easy to find parallel keys; they are located at a distance of a minor third. To find parallel minor, it is necessary to build the minor third down from the first step, and to find parallel major, you need to build a minor third upward.
You can also remember that the tonic of the parallel minor is on the VI degree of natural major, and the tonic parallel major- at the third level of minor.
Below is a table of parallel keys.
C major - A minor
Sharp keys
Flat keys
The major and minor keys of the same name are called different key signs And identical tonics. For example, these are C major (C-dur) and C minor (C-moll).
You can understand the essence of the same tonalities even from the name; they have one name, one tonic. Keys of the same name(in their natural form) are distinguished by III, VI and VII stages.
Enharmonically equal tonalities are tonalities whose sounds, all degrees and consonances of which are enharmonically equal, i.e., they sound the same, have the same pitch, but are written differently.
For example, if you play C sharp and D flat, they will sound the same, these sounds are enharmonically equal.
Examples of enharmonically equal keys
Theoretically, an enharmonic replacement can be found for any key, although in most cases the result will be unused keys. The main goal is enharmonically equal keys- simplify the life of the performer.
There are two main reasons for changing the key:
- Tonalities are replaced to reduce the number of characters. For example, in C-sharp major there are 7 sharps, and in D-flat major there are 5 flats. Keys with fewer signs are simpler and more convenient, so D-flat major is more often used.
- For various types instruments are better suited to certain tonalities. For example, for a group string instruments(violin, viola, cello) sharp keys are better suited, and flat keys are more convenient for wind instruments.
There are 6 pairs of keys that change enharmonically, 3 major and 3 minor.
Examples of major keys
Examples of minor keys
If we talk about infrequent enharmonic substitutions, we can cite as an example such keys as C major (no signs) and B sharp major (12 sharps). Will be enharmonically equal to C major and D double-flat major (12 flats).
Tonalities play an important role in the work of composers, some are assigned certain images, for example, since the time of J. S. Bach, B minor has been considered the “black” key, and in the work of N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, D-flat major is considered the tonality of love. It is surprising that cycles of works written in all keys are created: 2 volumes of well-tempered clavier by J. S. Bach, 24 preludes by F. Chopin, 24 preludes by A. Scriabin, 24 preludes and fugues by D. Shostakovich. And one of the keys to competent, successful performance of such works is knowledge of keys.
Music theory includes a huge variety of terminology. Tonality is a fundamental professional term. On this page you can find out what tonality is, how to determine it, what types there are, and also interesting facts, exercises, and a method for changing the key in a backing track.
Highlights
Imagine you decide to play a piece of music. You found the notes, and when analyzing the musical text, you noticed that after the key there are sharps or flats. We need to figure out what they mean. Key signs are alteration signs that remain throughout the entire performance. musical composition. According to the rules, they are placed after the key, but before the size (See Figure No. 1), and are duplicated on each subsequent line. Key signs are necessary not only so as not to constantly write them down near the notes, which takes a lot of time, but also so that the musician can determine the key in which the piece is written.
Figure No. 1
The piano, like many other instruments, has a tempered tuning. In this system, the units of calculation can be taken as tone and semitone. By dividing into these units, each sound on the keyboard can form a tonality, either major or minor. This is how the modal formulas for major and minor were invented (See Figure 2).
Figure No. 2
It is according to these scale formulas that a tonality can be constructed from any sound, either in major or minor. The sequential reproduction of notes according to these formulas is called a scale. Many musicians play scales in order to quickly navigate keys and key signs with them.
Tonality consists of two components: the name of the sound (for example, C) and the modal mood (major or minor). To build a scale, you need to select one of the sounds on the keyboard and play from it according to the formula, either major or minor.
Exercises for consolidation
- Try playing a major scale from the sound “D”. Use the ratio of tones and semitones when playing. Check for correctness.
- Try playing a minor scale from the sound "E". You must play according to the proposed formula.
- Try playing scales from different sounds in different moods. First at a slow pace, then at a faster pace.
Varieties
Some tones may have a certain connection with each other. Then they can be included in the following classifications:
- Parallel tones. The peculiarity is the same number of key signs, but different modal inclination. In fact, the set of sounds is absolutely identical, the only difference is the tonic sound. For example, the tonalities of C major and A minor are parallel, they have the same number of key signs, but different modal inclination and tonic sound. There is a parallel-variable mode, which is characterized by the fact that there are two parallel tonalities in the work, and their mode constantly changes, now to major, now to minor. This mode is typical for Russian folk music.
- The names of the same name have a common tonic sound, but at the same time different modal inclination and key signs. Example: D major (2 key marks), D minor (1 key sign).
- One-thirds have a common third (that is, the third sound in a triad); they are no longer united by the tonic, key signs, or mode. Typically, the one-third minor is located a minor second or semitone higher than the major. Accordingly, the one-third major in relation to the minor is located lower by a small second or semitone. An example is the tonalities of C major and C sharp minor; in the triads of these chords the sound “E” is the same.
Exercises for consolidation
Determine how the two tones relate to each other. Place the appropriate number next to the example:
- Parallel
- Same name
- Single-faced
Questions:
- B-major and H-moll
- A-major and A-minor
- G-major and e-moll
Check your own knowledge.
Answers: 3, 2, 1.
Interesting facts
- How musical term originated at the beginning of the 19th century. It was introduced by Alexandre Etienne Choron in his own writings.
- There is “color” hearing, which is characterized by the fact that a person associates a certain tonality with a specific color. The owners of this gift were Rimsky-Korsakov And Scriabin.
- IN contemporary art There is atonal music that does not take into account the principles of tonal stability.
- English terminology uses for parallel keys next designation– relative keys. When literally translated, these are “related” or “related”. The same name is designated as parallel keys, which can be perceived as parallel. Often when translating specific literature translators make an error in this matter.
- Symbolism classical music assigned a certain meaning to certain keys. So Des-dur is true love, B-dur defines handsome men, heroes, and e-moll – sorrow.
Key Chart
Sharp
Flat
How to determine the tonality of a piece
You can find out the main tonality for the composition using the plan below:
- Look for key signs.
- Find it in the table.
- There can be two keys: major and minor. To determine which fret you need to look at what sound the piece ends with.
There are ways to simplify the search:
- For major in sharp keys: last sharp + m2 = name of the key. So, if the extreme key sign is C sharp, then it will be D major.
- For flat major keys: penultimate flat = desired key. So if there are three key signs, then the penultimate one will be E-flat - this will be the desired key.
You can use both standard methods and those given above. The main thing is to learn how to correctly determine the tonality and navigate it.
Exercises for consolidation
Determine the tonality by key signs.
Major
Minor
Answers: 1. D major 2. As major 3. C major
- Cis minor 2. B minor 3. E minor
Circle of quarto-fifths
The quarto-fifth circle is a special diagrammatically presented information in which all keys are located at a distance of a perfect fifth clockwise, and at a distance of a perfect fourth counterclockwise.
Main triads in the key
Let's start with what a major and minor triad are and how they are built. Regardless of inclination, a triad is a chord consisting of three sounds, which are arranged in thirds. The major triad is designated as B 5 3, and consists of a major third and a minor. The minor triad is designated as M 5 3, and consists of a minor and major third.
Triads can be constructed from each note in a key.
The main triads in a key are those chords that indicate whether they are in a major or minor mood. On the first, fourth and fifth triads are built, corresponding to the modal inclination. That is, in major, major triads are built at these steps, and in minor, minor triads are built, respectively. The main triads for each degree have proper names or as they are also called functions. So the tonic is located on the first stage, the subdominant on the fourth, and the dominant on the fifth. They are usually abbreviated as T, S and D.
Related keys
There is such a thing as tonal affinity. How more difference signs, the further the relationship. Depending on the systems, there are 3 or 4 degrees. Let's consider the most popular system, which divides tones into 3 degrees of relationship.
|
Degree of relationship |
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|
Group |
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|
Sign difference |
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|
What keys |
parallel |
S, D and their parallels |
S harmonics for major |
Keys on b.2 ↓ and their parallels |
Major Major– m2, m3, b3 ↓ and Minor ss harm. – on b2↓ and minor of the same name |
Minor Minor– m2, m3, b3 ↓ and Major DD on b2 and major of the same name |
For major uv1, uv2, uv4 and uv5, for minor the same intervals ↓. |
Tritonanta and its parallel |
First group divided into 3 categories:
- This is a parallel tone. The difference in signs is 0. These keys are united by six common chords. Example: F major and D minor.
- 4 keys. The difference between the main and final tonality is one sign. These are the tonalities of the subdominant and dominant, as well as parallel to S and D. Example, for the key of G major: S - C major, parallel S - A minor, D - D major, parallel D - B minor.
- Considered only for major keys. A difference of 4 signs is a harmonic subdominant. Example for C major – the harmonic subdominant is F minor.
Second group kinship is divided into 2 subgroups:
- 4 keys. The difference is two key signs. It is easy to find these keys from the main one; they are located a major second above and below + parallels to those found. Example: the main key is A major. Above and below the major second or tone of the key: B minor and G major. Parallels for the keys found: these are D major and E minor.
- The difference of signs is from three to five. Finding the key will depend on whether the key is major or minor.
- Dur: 6 major and 2 minor: above and below on m2, m3 and b3; ss is harmonic, located on b2 below, as well as the minor of the same name. Example for G-dur: As-dur, B-dur, H-dur, Fis-dur, E-dur, Es-dur and f-moll and g-moll.
- Moll: 6 minor and 2 major: for minor second, minor third and b3 above and below; DD is a major second higher and the eponymous major.
Third group is divided into 2 groups:
- 3 keys that do not have a single chord in common, the difference is 3-5 signs in the opposite direction. For a major, you need to find minors higher at the following intervals, and for a minor, majors at lv.1, lv.4 and lv.5 below.
- Tritonanta and its parallel. The tritone is found from the original tonic, for C-dur - Fis-dur.
Depending on the degree of harmony, there are many methods of modulation.
How to change the key in backing tracks
It happens that the pitch is either too high for the voice or too low. For music to sound beautiful, you need to use modern technologies and programs to make the backing track convenient, that is, transpose it to the required interval lower or higher. Let's look at how to change the key in backing tracks or compositions. We will work in the Audacity program.
- Open the Audacity program
- Click on the “File” section. Select "Open..."
- Select the required audio recording
- Use the CTRL+A key combination to select the entire track.
- Click on the “Effects” section and select “Pitch Shift...”
- We set the number of semitones: when increasing the value is above zero, when decreasing the value less than zero. You can choose a specific key.
- We save the result. Open the "File" section, select "Export Audio..."
We hope that the page was useful for reading and now you know what tonality is, understand their types and can transpose a piece of music using a special program. Read other articles related to musical literacy, and improve your own knowledge.