What are signs in keys. Major scales with two signs at the key

All major keys are built according to the same formula: 2 tones - a semitone, 3 tones - a semitone. The same formula can be written in another way, through intervals: 2b-2b-2m-2b-2b-2b-2m. Build an A-major scale according to one of the proposed schemes. If you already know how to play the piano a little, then remember that between adjacent keys, regardless of their color, the distance is half a tone.

How to build an A-major scale

Find the sound "la" on the keyboard. Set aside a distance of 1 tone from this key. This will be the note "si". The next key, located at a distance of one tone from the "si", will be black - this is "c-sharp". Having completed the scale according to this scheme, you will get the following scale: la, si, c-sharp, re, mi, f-sharp, sol-sharp, la. You will get the same result by constructing a certain interval from each sound, that is, a large or small second. Between the sounds "la" and "si" - a big second, between "si" and "c-sharp" - too, but between "c-sharp" and "re" - a small second.

Determination of the number of signs on the fourth-quint circle

It is very easy to determine the number of key signs using the circle of fifths. You can make it yourself. Sometimes it is drawn in the form of a spiral, but for a beginner it is enough to learn how to count only 12 keys, so it is easiest to imagine a fourth-quint circle in the form of a clock face. In place of the “12” mark, write “C-major”, aka C-dur. Sharp tonalities are arranged clockwise as the number of key characters increases, counterclockwise - flat keys, also as the number of characters increases. Count from the sound "to" a fifth up. This is the fifth degree of the C major key, that is, the sound "sol". Where the number "1" would be on the dial, write "G major" and put one sharp. In sheet music, it will be F-sharp. Where the number "2" is, write the name of the next key. To find it, count the fifth up again, but already from the sound "salt". This will be the "re" sound. Write the name of the key, put two sharps. You can designate them - F-sharp and C-sharp. Decide which key name will be in the third circle. Counting the fifth from the “re” key, you will get the sound “la”, and accordingly, the key will be A-major, in the Latin designation - A-dur. Accordingly, it contains F-sharp, C-sharp and D-sharp. In this way you can complete the first half of the circle of fourths.

Other keys

As for the keys, the names of which will be located counterclockwise, you can also determine them yourself, only from the original sound you need to build up not a fifth, but a fourth. Delaying this interval from the sound "do", you get "fa", then "b-flat", "e-flat", etc. It is possible to determine the number of signs in another way, because the circle is called a quarto-quint for a reason. To find the next sharp key, you can count a fourth up, and a flat fifth down. Do not forget that in this case pure intervals are used, that is, a fourth is 2.5 tones, and a fifth is 3.5 tones.

This article will discuss how to memorize keys and their key signs. Everyone remembers differently: some try to remember the number of characters, others try to memorize the names of keys with their key characters, others come up with something else. In fact, everything is much simpler and you only need to remember two things, the rest will be remembered automatically.

Key signs - what is it?

People advanced in their music lessons, probably already not only know how to read notes, but also know what tonality is, and that composers put key signs in notes to indicate tonality. What are these key signs? These are sharps and flats, which are recorded on each musical line next to the key and are valid throughout the entire work or until they are canceled.

The order of sharps and the order of flats - you need to know this!

As you may know, the key marks are not displayed randomly, but in a certain order. Sharp order: fa, do, salt, re, la, mi, si . Flat order th - reverse: si, mi, la, re, sol, do, fa . Here's what it looks like in music notation:

In these rows, in both cases, all seven basic steps are used, which are well known to everyone: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si - only they are specially arranged in a certain sequence. We will work with these two orders in order to learn how to identify key signs in one key or another easily and correctly. Look again and remember the order:

How many keys are used in music?

Now let's move on to the tones. In total, 30 keys are used in music - 15 major and 15 parallel minor. Parallel keys such keys are called that have the same key signs, therefore, the same scale, but differ in tonic and their mode (I remind you that the tonic and mode determine the name of the key).

Of these 30 keys:

2 no signs(This C major And La Minor- we just remember them);
14 sharp(7 are major keys and 7 are parallel minor keys);
14 flat(also 7 major and 7 minor).

Thus, from 0 to 7 key signs (sharps or flats) may be required to indicate the key. Remember that there are no signs in C major and A minor? Also remember that in C-sharp major(And A-sharp minor) and in C flat major(and parallel A flat minor) respectively 7 sharps and flats.

What rules can be used to identify key signs in keys?

To determine the signs in all other keys, we will use the already known order of sharps or, if necessary, the order of flats. We will focus only on major keys, that is, in order to determine the key signs of a minor key, you must first find the major tonic parallel to it, which is located a minor third above the original minor tonic.

In order to determine key signs in sharp major key , we act according to the rule: last sharp one note below the tonic . That is, we simply list all the sharps in order until we get to the one that is a note below the tonic.

For example, in order to determine the key signs in B major, we list the sharps in order: fa, do, sol, re, la - we stop at la, since la is a note lower than si.

Signs of flat major keys we define it as follows: we list the order of the flats and stop at the next flat after the tonic has been named. So the rule here is: the last flat covers the major tonic (as if protecting from the wind) (that is, he is the next after the tonic). To find signs for a flat minor key, you must first determine its parallel major key.

For example, let's define signs for B-flat minor. First we find parallelism, it will be the key of D-flat major, then we call the order of flats: si, mi, la, re, sol. Re is the tonic, so we stop at the next note - salt.

I think the principle is clear. For one of the flat keys - in F major- this principle works with one caveat: we take the first tonic as if from nowhere. The point is that in in F major with the key the only sign - b flat, from which the order of flats begins, therefore, to determine the key, we take a step back and get the original key - F major.

How to find out what signs to put at the key - sharps or flats?

A question that may naturally arise in your mind is: “How do you know which of the keys are sharp and which are flat”? Most major keys with tonics from white keys (with the exception of do and fa) are sharp. Flat major keys are those whose tonics are in the order of flats (i.e. B flat major, E flat major etc.). This issue will be considered in more detail in an article devoted to the whole system of keys, called the circle of fourths and fifths.

Conclusion

Let's summarize. Now you know how to correctly identify key signs in any key. I remind you that for this you need to use the order of sharps or the order of flats and follow the rules: “the last sharp one note below the tonic” and “the last flat closes the tonic» . We focus only on major keys, in order to determine the signs in minor keys, we first find its parallel.

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What is tonality in music, learning to identify and change the tonality

Music theory includes a huge amount of diverse terminology. Tone is fundamental professional term. On this page you can find out what tonality is, how to determine it, what varieties there are, and also Interesting Facts, exercises, and a way to change the key in the backing track.

Basic moments

Imagine you decide to play musical composition. You found the notes, and when parsing 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 accidentals that persist throughout the performance. musical composition. According to the rules, they are set after the key, but before the size (See Figure No. 1), and are duplicated on each subsequent line. Key signs are necessary not only to avoid constantly writing them near the notes, which takes a lot of time, but also so that the musician can determine the key in which the work is written.

Figure #1

The piano, like many other instruments, is tempered. In this system, the units of calculation can be taken as a tone and a semitone. Thanks to the division into these units, from each sound on the keyboard, it is possible to form a tonality, either major or minor. This is how the modal formulas of major and minor were invented (See Figure 2).

Figure #2

It is according to these scale formulas that one can build a tonality from any sound, either in major or in minor. Sequential reproduction of notes according to these formulas is called a scale. Many musicians play scales in order to quickly navigate the keys and key signs with them.

The tonality consists of two components: the name of the sound (for example, to) and the modal inclination (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.

Strengthening exercises

1. Try to play the major scale from the "D" sound. Use the ratio of tones and semitones when playing. Check for correctness.
2. Try playing the minor scale from the "mi" sound. It is necessary to play according to the proposed formula.
3. Try playing scales from different sounds in different moods. First in slow pace, then faster ones.

Varieties

Some keys may have a certain relationship with each other. Then they can be included in the following classifications:

• parallel tones. A feature is the same number of key signs, but a different modal inclination. In fact, the set of sounds is absolutely identical, the difference lies only in the sound of the tonic. For example, the keys 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 keys in the work, and they constantly change the mode, then to major, then to minor. This mode is typical for Russian folk music.
• The eponymous have a common tonic sound, but at the same time a different modal inclination and key signs. Example: D major (2 keys), D minor (1 key).
• One-terts have a common third (that is, the third sound in a triad), they are no longer united by either the tonic, or key signs, or mode. Usually, the one-tertz minor is located a small second or a semitone higher than the major. Accordingly, the one-tertz major in relation to the minor is located lower by a small second or a semitone. An example is the keys of C major and C-sharp minor, in the triads of these chords the sound “mi” coincides.

Strengthening exercises

Determine how the two tones relate to each other. Put the appropriate number next to the example:

1. Parallel
2. namesake
3. Single Tertsovye

Questions:

• B major and h minor
• A major and a minor
• G-dur 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 Alexander Etienne Choron in his own writings.
• There is a "color" hearing, which is characterized by the fact that a person associates a certain tonality with a specific color. The recipients 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 the following designation for parallel keys - relative keys. In a literal translation, these are “related” or “related”. The same names are designated as parallel keys, which can be perceived as parallel. Often, when translating specific literature, translators make an error in this matter.
• The symbolism of classical music has assigned a certain meaning to some keys. So Des-dur is true love, B-dur defines handsome men, heroes, and e-moll - grief.

Tonality table

Sharp

Flat

How to determine the tone of a piece

You can find out the main key for the composition using the plan below:

1. Look for key signs.
2. Find in the table.
3. It can be two keys: major and minor. To determine which mode you need to look at, what sound the piece ends with.

There are ways to make searching easier:

• For major in sharp keys: last sharp + m2 = key name. 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 the ones above. The main thing is to learn how to correctly determine the tone and navigate in it.

Strengthening exercises

Determine the tone by key signs.

Major

Minor

Answers: 1. D major 2. As major 3. C major

1. Cis minor 2. B minor 3. E minor

Circle of fifths

The circle of fifths is a special schematically presented information in which all keys are located at a distance of a perfect fifth clockwise, and a perfect fourth counterclockwise.

Major triads in key

Let's start with what a major and minor triad is, and how they are built. Regardless of the mood, a triad is a chord consisting of three sounds, which are arranged in thirds. A major triad is denoted as B 5 3, and consists of a major third and a minor. A minor triad is designated as M 5 3, and consists of a minor and a major third.

From each note in the key, you can build triads.

The main triads in the key are such chords that show this major or minor inclination. On the first, fourth and fifth, triads are built corresponding to the modal mood. That is, in a major, major triads are built on these steps, and in a minor, respectively, minor ones. The main triads for each step have their own names, or as they are also called functions. So on the first step is the tonic, on the fourth is the subdominant, and on the fifth is the dominant. They are usually abbreviated as T, S and D.

How to change the key in backing tracks

It happens that the tonality is either too high for the voice, or too low. To make music 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 figure out how to change the key in backing tracks or compositions. We will work in the Audacity program.

• Opening Audacity

• Click on the "File" section. Select "Open..."

• Select the desired audio recording
• Press CTRL+A to select the entire track.
• Click on the "Effects" section, select "Change Pitch ..."

• We set the number of semitones: when increasing, the value is above zero, when decreasing, the value is less than zero. You can choose a specific tone.

• 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 key is, understand their types and can transpose a piece of music using special program. Read other articles on music literacy and improve your own knowledge.

Today you can find a large number of educational literature, which describes almost everything. If you choose to play classical music then you have to learn the theory. This is necessary in order to be well oriented, be able to improvise and compose music.

With complete ignorance of music theory, it is best to start learning with intervals. Only after studying this section, you can start studying keys. There are 24 tones in total. Two of these keys do not have signs at the key, and the rest are characterized by the presence of sharps or flats.

What are the signs in D minor

D minor can be called one of the light keys, since it contains only 1 key sign - B-flat. It should also be remembered that all natural minor keys can acquire temporary signs. For example, in a harmonic minor, the 7th step of the scale will rise. If you project this rule to the key of D minor, then you get a C-sharp note. There is also a melodic form of the minor scale. In terms of sound, it will resemble major, but with minor changes. In a melodic minor, when moving up, steps 6 and 7 will rise, and down you will need to play or sing a natural minor (in writing, signs of increasing or decreasing notes are canceled by the becar).

Circle of Fifths, or how to learn to improvise

The definition of the name of keys by signs with a key is taught in music schools. You can learn the keys and key signs in them yourself, using the image of the fifth circle. It depicts tonalities depending on the degree of kinship. For example, at the top of the circle there are keys without signs, then there are keys with 1, 2, 3, etc. signs at the key. Sharp keys will be indicated on the right, and flat keys on the left. If you memorize the circle of fifths, then you can easily pick up an accompaniment to a melody, improvise, and also understand the key, in which there are a large number of characters in the key.

How to determine the tonality of a work by key signs

When learning an unfamiliar work, you first need to determine the key in which it is written. To do this, you should pay attention to the signs at the key. It is also necessary to take into account the end of the work, since the same key signs can be present in two keys - major or parallel minor. Only when these two factors are taken into account will you be able to accurately determine the tone of the piece.

It should be noted,

How to remember key signs in keys

How to remember keys and their key signs? Everyone remembers differently: some try to remember the number of characters, others try to memorize the names of keys with their key characters, others come up with something else. In fact, everything is much simpler and you only need to remember two things, the rest will be remembered automatically.

Key signs - what is it?

These are sharps and flats, which are recorded on each musical line next to the key and are valid throughout the entire work or until they are canceled.

Sharp order and flat order

Key signs are not displayed randomly, but in a certain order.

Sharp order: fa, do, salt, re, la, mi, si.

The order of the flats is reversed:si, mi, la, re, sol, do, fa. Here's what it looks like in music notation:

In these rows, in both cases, all seven basic steps are used, which are well known to everyone: do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, si- only they are specially arranged in a certain sequence. We will work with these two orders in order to learn how to identify key signs in one key or another easily and correctly. Look again and remember the order:

How many keys are used in music?

Total 30 keys are used in music- 15 major and 15 parallel minor ones. Parallel keys such keys are called that have the same key signs, therefore, the same scale, but differ in tonic and their mode (I remind you that the tonic and mode determine the name of the key).

Of these 30 keys:

2 without signs (this is C major and A minor - we just remember them);

14 sharp (7 - major keys and 7 - minor keys parallel to them);

14 flat (also 7 major and 7 minor).

Thus, from 0 to 7 key signs (sharps or flats) may be required to indicate the key. Remember that there are no signs in C major and A minor! Remember also that in C-sharp major (and A-sharp minor) and in C-flat major (and parallel A-flat minor), respectively, 7 sharps and flats each.

How to identify key signs in keys?

To determine the signs in all other keys, we will use the already known order of sharps or, if necessary, the order of flats. We will focus only on major keys, that is, in order to determine the key signs of a minor key, you must first find the major tonic parallel to it, which is located a minor third above the original minor tonic.

In order to determine key signs in sharp major key, we act according to the rule: last sharp one note below the tonic. That is, we simply list all the sharps in order until we get to the one that is a note below the tonic.

For example, in order to determine the key signs in B major, we list the sharps in order: fa, do, sol, re, la - we stop at la, since la is a note lower than si.

Signs of flat major keys we define it as follows: we list the order of the flats and stop at the next flat after the tonic has been named. So the rule here is: the last flat covers the major tonic (as if protecting from the wind)(that is, it is the next after the tonic). To find signs for a flat minor key, you must first determine its parallel major key.

Sharps or flats?

A question that may naturally arise in your mind is: “How do you know which of the keys are sharp and which are flat”? Most major keys with tonics from white keys (with the exception of C and F) are sharp. Flat major keys are those whose tonics are in the order of flats (i.e. B-flat major, E-flat major, etc.). This issue will be considered in more detail in an article devoted to the whole system of keys, called the circle of fourths and fifths.

fifth circle

Circle of Fifths (or Circle of Fifths)- an open two-way sequence of keys, reflecting the degree of their relationship. It is visually depicted in the form of a circle, from which it got its name.

The sequence contains major keys paired with their parallel minor keys. When moving clockwise along the circle of fifths, the tonic of each subsequent major key is separated from the previous one (upwards) by a pure fifth, and one sharp is added to the recording at the key. When moving counterclockwise, the interval (ascending) is a perfect fourth, and flats are added to the notes.

Since an octave consists of 12 semitones, a fourth of 5, and a fifth of 7, then 12 quarts or 12 fifths make up several octaves and therefore the thirteenth keys, if counted in any direction along the circle of fifths, coincide with C major. Since 12 is coprime with 5 and 7, all keys can be obtained by considering any 12 in a row in a circle. It also follows from this that the keys will eventually coincide if we move in opposite directions (for example, Ges = Fis). Therefore, only 5-7 steps in each direction are usually used, leaving keys with a large number of accidental signs only in theory.

For the first time, the quarto-fifth circle was described in the book “The Idea of ​​Musician Grammar” in 1679. The author of the work is composer Nikolai Pavlovich Diletsky.

In all keys of the circle of fourths and fifths, such works as cycles of 24 preludes by Chopin and Shostakovich were written. J.S. Bach showed the equality of all keys by writing the famous Well-Tempered Clavier.