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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