No help but sympathy. The key has two functions. One is to tell you where the sharps & flats are. The other is to tell you what is the "main chord" of the tune. In folk music it's not as simple as it tends to be in classical music. For instance, I've written a tune and it starts and ends on C. So I'd say it's in the key of C. But all the B notes happen to be flat. So... is it in F? That's why you've got the Modal business. I'm not sure what mode my tune is in - I'm not up to speed on modes. C Dorian, at a guess. I have to take some time to check which. Check the links - there are URLs to sites that explain very helpfully about Modes.
Experienced players will glance at a key signature and glance at the notes, and mutter "G myxolidian" or something. I just cross my fingers and hope.
As a Whistle player I tend to assume a tune is in D, and the sharps & flats tell me if it's in anything else.
The sharps and flats tell you what key it is in. That's the easy bit.
A good but not overcomplicated music theory book will explain how the scales work. Or try finding a musician who will explain it!
The pattern of tones and semitones as you play up the scale tells you if it is major,minor or modal. The notes which are sharp or flat will tell you which key.
Many tunes end on the key note. If it ends in G, it's probably in G.
This is a real oversimplification but I hope it will give you a 'way in'.
There are two pieces of information: the key and the mode. The key is the note that the tune resolves to (usually, but not always the last note) if it resolves at all. The sharps and/or flats used will determine the mode (though some tunes change modes or even keys in the middle, others are missing a note or two that could be sharp, natural or flat, making the mode ambiguous, others are sometimes played with notes somewhere between natural and sharp, again making the mode ambiguous, etc.)
Still, for those tunes that fit the scheme, here's the scheme for the four common modes (the other three are rare) and common signatures (sharps/flats). The table shows the key for each combination of mode and sharps/flats.
Mode Major Mixolydian Dorian Minor
Sharps/Flats
AbEbBb Eb Bb F C
EbBb Bb F C G
Bb F C G D
None C G D A
F# G D A E
F#C# D A E B
F#C#G# A E B F#
F#C#G#D# E B F# C#
If you know the circle of fifths, you'll see it down the columns, across the rows, and in the list of signatures. Understanding that will allow you to reconstruct this information without memorizing it.
It's quite simple: there is no such thing an major or minor, there is just Ionoan, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Anything else is just one of those with a note sharpened or flattned here or there.
Of course, then there's the Pentatonic scales, but that's a different story...
Thanks for all the help I'm glad I'm not missing something that has been simple all along The slowplayers web site is a great reference and should help me bluff my way through
How do you tell what key is what
How do you tell what key is what
I need a bit of help here please.I play Irish fiddle I can transcribe a tune fine but ask me the key its in and it all goes to pot.....Any advice?
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by Effie
Re: How do you tell what key is what
No help but sympathy. The key has two functions. One is to tell you where the sharps & flats are. The other is to tell you what is the "main chord" of the tune. In folk music it's not as simple as it tends to be in classical music. For instance, I've written a tune and it starts and ends on C. So I'd say it's in the key of C. But all the B notes happen to be flat. So... is it in F? That's why you've got the Modal business. I'm not sure what mode my tune is in - I'm not up to speed on modes. C Dorian, at a guess. I have to take some time to check which. Check the links - there are URLs to sites that explain very helpfully about Modes.
Experienced players will glance at a key signature and glance at the notes, and mutter "G myxolidian" or something. I just cross my fingers and hope.
As a Whistle player I tend to assume a tune is in D, and the sharps & flats tell me if it's in anything else.
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by Innocent Bystander
Re: How do you tell what key is what
The sharps and flats tell you what key it is in. That's the easy bit.
A good but not overcomplicated music theory book will explain how the scales work. Or try finding a musician who will explain it!
The pattern of tones and semitones as you play up the scale tells you if it is major,minor or modal. The notes which are sharp or flat will tell you which key.
Many tunes end on the key note. If it ends in G, it's probably in G.
This is a real oversimplification but I hope it will give you a 'way in'.
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by c.g.
Re: How do you tell what key is what
There are two pieces of information: the key and the mode. The key is the note that the tune resolves to (usually, but not always the last note) if it resolves at all. The sharps and/or flats used will determine the mode (though some tunes change modes or even keys in the middle, others are missing a note or two that could be sharp, natural or flat, making the mode ambiguous, others are sometimes played with notes somewhere between natural and sharp, again making the mode ambiguous, etc.)
Still, for those tunes that fit the scheme, here's the scheme for the four common modes (the other three are rare) and common signatures (sharps/flats). The table shows the key for each combination of mode and sharps/flats.
Mode Major Mixolydian Dorian Minor
Sharps/Flats
AbEbBb Eb Bb F C
EbBb Bb F C G
Bb F C G D
None C G D A
F# G D A E
F#C# D A E B
F#C#G# A E B F#
F#C#G#D# E B F# C#
If you know the circle of fifths, you'll see it down the columns, across the rows, and in the list of signatures. Understanding that will allow you to reconstruct this information without memorizing it.
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by GaryAMartin
Re: How do you tell what key is what
Ack. HTML screws up the formatting again! Pretend that's a table with tabs instead of spaces.
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by GaryAMartin
Re: How do you tell what key is what
Click here: http://www.slowplayers.org/SCTLS/modes.htm for a couple of handy, easy to use charts that explain the most common keys and modes in Irish trad music.
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by Will CPT
Re: How do you tell what key is what
That website that Will referred to is a wonderful resource, useful to all musicians from beginners upwards.
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by lazyhound
Re: How do you tell what key is what
ahhh!!! this all makes my head spin...
# Posted on October 21st 2006 by BE
Re: How do you tell what key is what
It's quite simple: there is no such thing an major or minor, there is just Ionoan, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian. Anything else is just one of those with a note sharpened or flattned here or there.
Of course, then there's the Pentatonic scales, but that's a different story...
# Posted on October 23rd 2006 by Joe CSS
Re: How do you tell what key is what
Thanks for all the help I'm glad I'm not missing something that has been simple all along The slowplayers web site is a great reference and should help me bluff my way through
# Posted on October 23rd 2006 by Effie