Key: parallel and eponymous, their letter designations

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

This article is devoted to an extremely important topic in music - tonality. You will learn what a key is, what are parallel and similar keys, and their letter designations will be considered.

What is key?

The word itself suggests its meaning. She seems to set the tone for the whole piece of music. In fact, tonality is the basis of the work. They push off from it, creating this or that musical composition. It's kind of a start.

So, for example, there is a key in C major. This means that the tonic, which is also the first step of the mode, is the sound "to". The main chord in this key consists of sounds do-mi-sol. Such a chord is called a "tonic triad".

In this regard, before disassembling and playing a piece of music, the performer determines the main key, modal inclination, looks at the number of key characters, mentally determines what its parallel key is.

The same musical composition can be sung or played in completely different keys of the correspondingfret. This is used primarily for the convenience of vocal performance.

The parallel tonality used in the work can give a different color to the composition. So, for example, if a piece of music is written in the light key of D major, then its parallel key is the sad and tragic B minor.

Letter designations of keys

Major is denoted by dur, minor is denoted by moll. Sharp - is, flat - es. Below is a list of some of the parallel keys and their letter designations.

C major (no signs). Designated C-dur. Parallel key - A minor (A-moll)

• F major - one flat (si). Has the designation F-dur. Its parallel is D minor (d-moll).
• G major - one sharp (F). Designated G-dur. Its parallel key is E minor (e-moll).
• B-flat major - two flats (si, mi). Has the designation B-dur. Its parallel is G minor (g-moll).
• D major - two sharps (F, C). Designated D-dur. Its parallel is B minor (h-moll).

And so on.

What are parallel keys

These are major and minor keys that contain the same key signatures, but they have different tonics.

The list above shows some keys and their parallels.

To find a parallel tonality to a given major, you need to go down from the given one by m.3 (minor third) down.

If you want to determine a parallel key to a given minor key, then you need to rise from the indicated one by b.3 (major third) up.

The above list clearly demonstrates the parallel keys of major and minor moods up to two signs at the key.

Same keys

These are those that have the same tonic, but different modal inclinations and, accordingly, completely different signs at the key.

For example:

• C-dur (no signs) - c-moll (three flats).
• F-dur (one flat) - f-moll (four flats).
• G-dur (one sharp) - g-moll (two flats).

And so on.

Thus, tonality is a kind of beginning of any musical composition for both the composer and the performer. Melody transposition, that is, the transition from one key to another, allows vocalists to freely perform absolutely all compositions. Such a transfer sometimes gives the work a completely new color. You can conduct an interesting experiment and try to perform a musical composition written in a major key in a minor key (a parallel key can also be chosen). At the same time, a bright and joyful mood will turn into a sad and sad one. In the twentieth century, the term "atonal music" appeared, that is, music that does not have an established tonality. But that's another story…