If you learn the order of sharps/flats and you know that the key you play in has e.g. 4 sharps/flats in the key signature, then you’ll know you play in [insert the tonic] major and that the accidentals (sharps or flats) are on notes x, y, z, etc.
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The goal is to ‘immediately’ know the notes/chords in a major key. This is possible if you know:
- how many sharps / flats there are in a key
- the order of the sharps / flats
- which chords in a key are major (1-4-5), minor (2-3-6) and diminished (7)
Let’s apply this to the key of B major. It’s a less common key, so chances are that you have to think about the chords in that key.
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You have memorized that B major has 5 sharps.
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You have memorized the order of the sharps, so you know that those 5 sharps are F#, C#, G#, D# and A#. The other notes are natural notes. So now we know the notes of the B major scale: B, C#, D#, E, F#, G#, A#
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Now you just need to apply the chord quality to each note and you’ll have your 7 diatonic chords: B major, C# minor, D# minor, E major, F# major, G# minor, A# diminished
I hope this makes things a bit more clear to you.
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That helps. Thanks.
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Doh! Next lesson clarifies using Mr. Cato’s Slick Trick.
Dang! That is a slick trick. I can memorize and use that. I’m not ready to deep-dive notation, and may never be.
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Holy Leaping Lizards Batman!
I’m having an epiphany moment. Sorta off topic but I’m watching the Power Chord video in PMT Grade 3. Power chords: R and the 5th.
So me - looks at Circle of Fifths to find the Root and the 5th.
And then - it hits me while looking at the COF.
There it is - The Cato Key Diagrams in a circle minus the Cb and Fb)
The Relative Minors are offset (theory I don’t understand yet) but now that I see it - I can’t “unsee” it.
Wow! Cool. I can construct the Circle of Fifths using memonics.
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Have a question about how to recognize the key using the number of sharps or flats on the staff. Happened to use the method on the staff notation for the Aretha Franklin song, I say a little prayer. The staff notation had 3 sharps so i inferred its the key of A major. However the song is actually in F# minor which haopens to be the relative minor of A major. So, was wondering if there’s a way to recognize this.
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There are no minor keys on sheet music. In reality there are no minor keys. There are Major and modes. Minor keys are the 6th mode of the Parent Major key
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A major in this instance would be termed the Parent Major Scale.
Standard Notation only shows parent major scales.
The actual ‘key’ or ‘mode’ that the music then is composed within is a derivative or relation of that parent major scale.
A major on the staff could mean any of:
A major (Ionian)
B Dorian
C# Phrygian
D Lydian
E Mixolydian
F# minor (Aeolian)
G# Locrian (highly unlikely)
I once had a discussion / disagreement with a trained piano player about the key for the song Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. There are only two basic chords - F major and G major. The piano player reading standard notation insisted it was in C major (no sharps and flats on his sheet music). I suggested it could be F Lydian. I also suggested it could be A minor. All three can be correct and there is no absolute correct analysis. The sheet music doesn’t give finality and our ears give the suggestion as to what is the home/ tonic chord and what key it is. The vocalists’s melody can be crucial if ambiguity exists like in this song. You won’t find a definite answer on the internet. Listen and see what you think.
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Thank you very much @Richard_close2u. That was a really helpful explanation and I learnt a few new things from your response as well.
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I’m glad I took a lesson on how to read music sheet, this would completely make me confuse if I just learn it for the first time. Didn’t take me long to process the tips that justin gave on how to determine what key your in. This by the way just added more knowledge for me in reading music sheets, glad justin added this topic on his music theory course.
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I learned to menonics in Swiss Elementary School for the order of the scales and sharps and flats. Note that H is for B.
Geh Du Alter Esel Hole Fische
Frische Broetchen Essen Alte Damen Gern
…It still roams my head. And, yes, a long time ago, they taught introductory music theory in my school as a mandatory subject.
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I am curious if I am supposed to taking another course in tandem with the theory course. There seems to be a LOT of assumptions as to what I should know (like notes and chords) as I go along.
If so, perhaps I missed it.
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Patrick @rigamonk
Slightly puzzled by your question, I presume you are doing the guitar course. The theory course is what it says music theory whatever instrument you play but of course Justin’s is geared more to guitar players. In terms of key signatures on the stave I think Justin goes through this so if you look a traditional sheet music even if you are not able to read it you can still know what key it is in.
By the way welcome to the community.
Michael
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@rigamonk Welcome to the forum Patrick did you not do grade 1 and 2 of the PMT course? It covers the note circle and chord construction and an introduction to scales.
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nope. That’s what I needed to know. Self Taught and looking around, so I thought I should begin here.
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Whoops, read that wrong. I have taken this course from beginning until here.
@MAT1953 What I’m saying is that there seems to be no refence of what is needed to take this course. “Should know”, doesn’t correlate with “does know”. That’s what I’m saying.
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@rigamonk Welcome to JustinGuitar and the COmmunity Patrick.
If you’re self taught - and many are - I recommend you work through the structured leassons in the beginner course to ensure you have good technique, no gaps and a solid foundation for progressing your learning - practical and theory.
Cheers
Richard
