Music Theory help.............?

Question

What are the ways that you can tell what key a piece is in? I can tell by looking at the sharps and flats and even looking at circle of fifths. but i know that even with this information it is not enough. Could someone help me???

Answer 1

I think that the previous answers are a good resource for figuring out most key signatures, but there are some instances where a key signature is not enough. For example, figuring out the key of a Bartok work may not be an easy task. Remember that not all works will fall into the category of major or minor. Although these are by far the most common, we can't always assume that a work is simply major or minor.

The trick is to find the tonic (if there is one). The tonic is the pitch that feels the most "resolved" in the music. You will often find the tonic at the beginning and end of a work and at the beginnings and ends of phrases. So if there is one flat in the key signature and the piece starts and ends with F, the key is most likely F major and the tonic is F. But if the key signature has one flat and the piece starts and ends with A, the key could very likely be A Phrygian.

Also be aware that some compositions won't have a key or a tonic (atonal). It may even have two or more tonics (poly-tonal), but these are not common.

I hope this gives you some further insight.

Answer 2

So sometimes you may have the problem with telling whether it is in the major key or its relative minor... like it could be in the Key of C or with the same key signature in the key of A minor.

First remember, the possible minor key is always two letters down from the Major key. If you have 3 sharps, and you know it might be in the key of A (major) that means it could also be in the key of F# minor (why F# and not F? because you're F is already marked as a sharp in the key signature) If you had two flats, you'd be in the key of B flat major or G minor.

How can you tell if it's minor or not? Look at the last chord, if it's minor it might have the that minor note in it- like in the key of A minor- it would have an A in the last chord (it wouldn't have an A in the last chord if it was major). Another way to tell is look for accidentals or added sharped notes in the piece. Most all minor keys will have the 7th degree in minor raised a half step. That means that in the Key of C (where there are no sharps or flats)- you could have a G# because it's the 7th degree of A minor (the relative minor of C). In the key of F# minor (or the Major Key of A) you'd have an E sharp (which is like a natural F but written as E#).

This sort of opens up a lot more theory and a lot more questions, but in time you'll understand it.

Answer 3

The first place to start would be the chord structure. The most important chord is the I chord. This is the chord formed by the first, third, and fifth notes in a mode. This is why a C major chord is called C major, because the C major scale starts with C D E F G. Every mode naturally contains three major chords, three minor chords, and one diminished triad. By "naturally", it is meant that all of the notes in the chord are in the mode's scale. D major is not natural in the key of C because a D major consists of D, F#, and A, and F# does not occur in the C major scale. One major chord can be extended to a dominant seventh chord (in the key of C major, this would be G7), and all of the minor chords can be extended to a minor seventh chord.

Suppose we have a song and have determined it to have these chords: C, F, and G. This is a classic example of a three-chord song, of which the twelve-bar blues is a good example (but there are zillions of possible three-chord structures). Suppose the C chord occurs often and it is also the first and last chord in the song — it is probably the I chord, because the tendency is to begin on the I chord, move around a bit, and come back ("resolve") to the I chord. C, F, and G happen to be the three major chords that occur naturally in the C major scale. Therefore the chord progression is in C major and it is quite likely that any melody accompanying it is also in C major.

But what if a chord progression contains six major chords? Not all of those can occur naturally in a given mode, since each mode has only three. Does the mode change during the progression? Well, yes and no. Certainly, the key signature won't change with each chord change; it will only change when the piece as a whole is changed to another key, generally when a new chord becomes the I chord.

Answer 4

If you play through it you will usually know within the first couple phrases if the piece is in a major or minor key. Then, you can tell by the key signature which of the two choices it is. For example, one flat: D minor or F Major. Three Sharps: A Major or F# Minor.

Most of this requires memorization of the keys. Search the web for a diagram which shows you the "circle of fifths"

Answer 5

Every composition degree from any reputable music school requires at minimum 6 music theory courses: Typically the theory sequence I-IV, and at least some of these: counterpoint, Schenker, post-tonal techniques, serialism, electronic music, form and analysis, orchestration, etc. Depending on how the school divides (or combines) the composition and theory department some courses may fall under one category or the other, this distinction usually boils down to internal politics at the school rather than the content of the course. There is considerable overlap between the curriculum for music theory and composition, however the two are distinct fields, Theory is devoted to creating a framework to describe and understand music while the goal, of composition is creative. To that end music theory is not strictly necessary for a composer (we have numerous examples of composers with little regard or understanding of music theory), though a firm grasp of theory is helpful for most composers. Knowing theory will change " what sounds natural and correct" to you. For some composers that's for the better, for others it's a detriment. In terms of getting into school for music composition you'll need to put together a portfolio of at least 3 compositions, ideally with recordings as well. Now is the time to make friends with other musicians in your school and write music for them. The real core of becoming a better composer is having the opportunity to hear your work performed and to learn from that experience what worked well and what could have been better.

Answer 6

1) Look at the key sig.
2) For every key sig, there are two options: Major or minor
EX) If you have 3 flats then you know the piece could either be in "c minor" or "Eb Major"
3) Last, look at the end of the piece. If the last measure and the last chord have the notes in an Eb Major chord (Eb-G-Bb) then it will be in Eb Major if the ending notes are the notes found in a c minor chord (c-eb-g) then the piece is in c minor.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 7

IF IT'S TONAL MUSIC: If you have the piece at hand, I guess looking at the key signature (sharps/flats beside the clef), spelling out the notes of the final chord would be enough. If you're just listening to it, try to match the notes and chords that you hear on the piano or whaterver instrument that you have and analyze them. Or, if you've got absolute pitch (a.k.a. perfect pitch) it would be of tremendous help. But of course you still have to use your relative pitch ability.
IF IT'S ATONAL: Read more and understand how atonal music is analyzed.Good luck.

Answer 8

you would have to look if there are accidentals or not. depending on the accidentals, you can tell if it is major or minor
look at some of the patterns, analyze the notes etc. can also help determine the key the piece is in

Answer 9

The last notes and cadences usually are the first or fifth note of the key or are in their chords.

Answer 10

Actually, it is enough.

the second to last flat is the key sig, and one letter name above the last sharp is the key sig, e.g. G major-g a b c d e f# g or D major =d e f# g a b c# d.....or Bb = bb c d eb f g a