To know how to determine the tonality of a work, it is required, first of all, to understand the concept of “tonality”. You are already familiar with this term, so I will just remind you without delving into the theory.
Tonality - in general, is the pitch of the sound, in this case - the pitch of the sound of a fret - for example, major or minor. Mode is the construction of a scale according to a certain scheme, and, in addition, mode is a specific sound coloring of the scale (major mode is associated with light colors, minor - with sad notes, a shadow).
The height of each specific depends on its tonic (the main stable note). That is, the tonic is the note to which the mode is attached. Fret in interaction with tonic gives tonality - that is, a set of sounds arranged in a certain order, located at a specific height.
How to determine the tone of a piece by ear?
It is important to understand here that not at any moment of sound Can you tell exactly what tone it sounds like? this part works. Need to choose individual moments and analyze them. What are these moments? This may be the very beginning or the very end of the work, as well as the end of any section of the work or even a single phrase. Why? Because the beginnings and ends sound stable, they assert, and in the middle there is usually a movement away from the main key.
So, choosing a fragment for yourself, pay attention to two things:
- what in the work general mood, which inclination is major or minor?
- what sound is the most stable, what sound is suitable for completing the piece?
When you determine this, you should have a clearing. It depends on the type of inclination whether it is a major key or a minor one, that is, what is the mode of the key. Well, the tonic, that is, the steady sound that you heard, can simply be picked up on the instrument. So, you know the tonic and you know the modal mood. What else is needed? Nothing, just put them together. For example, if you heard a minor mood and the tonic F, then the key will be F minor.
How to determine the key of a work in sheet music?
But how to determine the tonality of a work if you have notes on hand? You probably already guessed that you should pay attention to the signs at the key. In most cases, these signs and tonic can accurately determine the tone, because key signs put you before the fact, offering only two specific keys: one major and one minor parallel to it. What is the tone in this work depends on tonic. You can read more about key signs.
Finding the tonic can be tricky. Often this is the last note piece of music or his logically completed phrase, a little less often it is also the first. If, for example, a work begins with an overtact (an incomplete measure preceding the first), then often the stable note is not the first, but the one that falls on strong beat first normal full measure.
Do not be too lazy to look at the accompaniment part, you can guess from it which note is the tonic. Very often the accompaniment beats the tonic triad, which, as the name implies, contains the tonic, and, by the way, the mode too. The final accompaniment chord almost always contains it.
Summarizing the above, here are a few steps that you must take if you want to determine the key of a piece:
- By ear - find out the general mood of the work (major or minor).
- Having notes on hand, look for signs of alteration (at the key or random in places where the key changes).
- Determine the tonic - conditionally, this is the first or last sound of the melody, if it does not fit, determine the stable, "supporting" note by ear.
It is hearing that is your main tool in resolving the issue to which this article is devoted. Following these simple rules, you will be able to determine the key of a piece of music quickly and correctly, later you will learn to determine the key at a glance. Good luck!
By the way, a good hint for you on initial stage can become a cheat sheet known to all musicians -. Try to use it - very convenient.
IN folk music there are different modes. IN classical music(Russian and foreign) in one way or another reflected folk art, and consequently, the variety of modes inherent in it, but nevertheless the major and minor modes have received the most widespread use.
Major(major, literally, means b O Lsh) is a mode whose stable sounds (in sequential or simultaneous sound) form a large or major triad - a consonance consisting of three sounds. The sounds of a major triad are arranged in thirds: a major third is between the lower and middle sounds, and a small one is between the middle and upper sounds. Between the extreme sounds of the triad, an interval of a pure fifth is formed.
For example:
A major triad built on a tonic is called a tonic triad.
Unstable sounds in such a fret are located between stable ones.
The major mode consists of seven sounds, or, as they are commonly called, steps.
The successive series of sounds of the mode (starting from the tonic and to the tonic of the next octave) is called the scale of the mode or scale.
The sounds that make up the scale are called steps, because the scale itself is quite clearly associated with the stairs.
Scale steps are indicated by Roman numerals:
They form a sequence of intervals of a second. The order of steps and seconds is as follows: b.2, b.2, m.2, b.2, b.2, b.2, m.2 (that is, two tones, semitone, three tones, semitone).
Do you remember the piano keyboard? It is very clearly visible where the tone is in the major scale, and where the semitone is. Let's look more specifically.
That's where there are black keys between the white ones, that's where the tone is, and where there isn't, then the distance between the sounds is equal to a semitone. Why, you ask, do you need to know this? Here you try to play (by pressing alternately) first from the note Before up to a note Before the next octave (try to remember the result by ear). And then the same from all other notes, without resorting to the help of derivatives ("black") keys. Get something wrong. In order to bring everything into the same decent form, it is necessary to maintain the scheme tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone. Let's try to make a major scale from the note Re. Recall that you first need to build two tones. So, Re-Mi is the tone. Very good. And here mi-fa... stop! There is no "black" key between them. The distance between sounds is half a tone, but we need a tone. What to do? The answer is simple - raise the note F half a step up (we get F-sharp). Let's repeat: Re - Mi - F-sharp. That is, if we needed an intermediate key between the steps, and there was no black one between them, then let the white key play this intermediate role - and the step itself "moves" to the black one. Then half a tone is required, and we got it ourselves (between F-sharp And salt becar just half a ton distance), it turned out Re - Mi - F-sharp - Sol. Continuing to strictly adhere to the major scale scheme (let me remind you again: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone) we get D major scale, sounding exactly the same as the gamma sounded from BEFORE:
Gamma with the above order of steps is called natural major scale, and the mode expressed by this order is natural major. Major can be not only natural, so such a clarification is useful. In addition to the digital designation, each step of the mode has an independent name:
Stage I - tonic (T),
Stage II - descending introductory sound,
III stage- mediant (average),
Stage IV - subdominant (S),
Stage V - dominant (D),
VI step - submediant (lower mediant),
VII step - ascending introductory sound.
Tonic, subdominant and dominant are called the main steps, the rest are side steps. Remember, please, these three numbers: I, IV and V are the main steps. Don't be embarrassed by the fact that they are located in the scale so whimsically, without visible symmetry. There are fundamental justifications for this, the nature of which you will learn from the lessons on harmony on our website.
The dominant (in translation - dominating) is located as a pure fifth above the tonic. Between them is the third step, which is why it is called the median (middle). The subdominant (lower dominant) is located a fifth below the tonic, hence its name, and the submedian is located between the subdominant and the tonic. Below is a diagram of the location of these steps:
The introductory sounds got their name in connection with their attraction to the tonic. The lower introductory sound gravitates in an upward direction, while the upper introductory sound gravitates in a downward direction.
It was said above that in major there are three stable sounds - these are I, III and V steps. Their degree of stability is not the same. The first step - the tonic - is the main reference sound and therefore the most stable. Stages III and V are less stable. The II, IV, VI and VII degrees of the major scale are unstable. The degree of their instability is different. It depends: 1) on the distance between unstable and stable sounds; 2) on the degree of stability of the sound to which gravity is directed. Less sharpness of gravity is manifested at the steps: VI to V, II to III and IV to V.
For an example of gravity, let's listen to two options for resolving sounds. First- For major keys, A second for minors. We will still study the minor in the next lessons, but for now, try to take it by ear. Now doing practical lessons, try to find stable and unstable steps and their resolutions.
In music, there are two musical modes that are basic - these are major and minor. Let's talk in more detail about what a major is, what a major mode is and how the major mode differs from the minor mode, as well as how this word is used in modern slang.
What is major: definition
Major is a set of sounds of a musical instrument, implying a peppy and cheerful tone. This wording is due to the fact that all music is inherently created to convey the feelings and emotions of a person. A composer who composes a certain musical composition or symphony is based on his feelings and puts them into music.
Development process musical composition quite complex and often intertwined with the experimental method of selecting the necessary sounds. Each recorded note is followed by a heavy selection of subsequent notes and an attempt to harmonize them with each other so that the music sounds pleasing to the human ear.
major scale
Due to the fact that the set of sounds is unlimited, and the human ear is able to perceive sounds in the range from 20 to 20,000 Hz, it became necessary to classify certain simple sets of keys. The main ones that can be played on any musical instrument, are major and minor modes. It turns out that the major scale is the sequence of any composition, which, on a psychological level, causes a person to associate with a cheerful and cheerful mood. Also, any composition can be recorded in a minor key to get the opposite effect of sound and perception on a psychological level. A minor mode is a mode whose sounds form a small and minor triad.
Differences between major and minor
Any set of notes can be written as a major or minor scale. That is, any musical composition consisting of a certain set of notes can be played both in a minor sound and in a major one.
The difference between the major and the minor is that between the second tone and the first in the minor there is a small third, and in the major - a large one. talking plain language, major-minor is a harmonic expression of the states of the soul joy-sadness.
Music term in everyday life
IN youth slang the word major is used in a context indicating wealthy people living in prosperity and abundance. It is believed that people with great material wealth get almost everything they want. And the person who gets what he wants is in joy and euphoria. And vice versa: people who do not have a large number wealth, do not always get what they want and therefore are not always in a state of joy and pleasure.
We continue our series of articles on music theory, and today we will talk about what mode, tonality and intervals are in music.
In the last article, we studied musical notation and saw how music in general looks like in written form, and which note is responsible for which sound. To make it easier for you to get involved in this lesson, let's remember with you what the scale looks like:
What you see in the picture above is the C major scale. Why it is called “C major” will be discussed a little later. And now we will talk about gamma.
Gamma- this is a scale, the steps of which are at a distance of one tone or a semitone from each other. Usually scales are played by musicians to warm up and develop finger motor skills.
The steps of the scale from the first to the seventh are numbered in Roman numerals.
Each step of the mode has its own name:
- Stage I - tonic (T)
- Stage II - descending introductory sound
- Stage III - mediant (middle)
- Stage IV - subdominant (S)
- Stage V - dominant (D)
- Stage VI - submediant (lower mediant)
- VII stage - ascending introductory sound
You probably understand that the notes in music are in a certain relationship with each other. So you can't just hit the strings of a guitar or fall on the keys of a piano to get a melody that caresses the ear. And above all, this very correlation is expressed in the fact that in music there are sounds that seem to stand out from the general mass of notes. Such sounds are called sustainable and often complete the melody.
But even among stable sounds there is a leader - tonic. She is the mainstay of the whole melody. In the example below, you can listen to the melody without the tonic:
Seems like something is missing, right? I want to finish the tune.
And, of course, in contrast to stable sounds, there are unstable. The unstable ones gravitate toward stable sounds, seek to connect with them. And the transition of an unstable sound into a stable one is permission.
So, we have understood that there is a certain pattern according to which music is built. And this rule is called fret. Fret always underlies any musical composition and it is he who organizes all the sounds in music, gives character to the melody.
To continue our story about modes, we need to digress a bit and tell you about intervals.
- this is a simultaneous or sequential combination of sounds. The simultaneous interval is called harmonic, and the successive interval is called melodic. The lower sound of an interval is its base, and the upper sound is its top. In the example, the left interval is harmonic, and the right one is melodic.
Melodic intervals can be either ascending (that is, read from the bottom up) or descending (that is, vice versa). Harmonic intervals are read only from bottom to top.
Intervals that are formed within one octave are called simple. And there are eight of them:
- Prima
- Second
- Third
- Quart
- Quint
- Sixth
- Seventh
- Octave
But all prime intervals are also divisible. We remember that the distance between adjacent steps can be equal to a tone or a semitone. It follows that some intervals can be of two types:
- Pure prima - 0 tones
- Small second - 1/2 tone
- Major second - 1 tone
- Small third - 1 and 1/2 tones
- Major third - 2 tones
- Pure quart - 2 and 1/2 tones
- Increased quart - 3 tones
- Reduced fifth - 3 tones
- Pure fifth - 3 and 1/2 tones
- Small sixth - 4 tones
- Big sixth - 3 and 1/2 tones
- Small seventh - 5 tones
- Major seventh - 5 and 1/2 tones
- Pure octave - 6 tones
We won't bore you with more details about intervals. We only note that intervals are divided into consonant and dissonant. Consonance is a merging, consonant sound. Dissonance is a sharp, non-merging sound, well, or simply “unpleasant”.
Consonant intervals:
1. Very perfect consonance:
- pure prima
- Pure octave
2. Perfect Consonance:
- Pure quart
- Perfect fifth
3. Imperfect Consonance:
- Minor third
- Major third
- Minor sixth
- Major sixth
All the rest are dissonant intervals.
Now back to the frets. Frets are different, but we will analyze the most basic ones: major and minor.
(in literal translation - a larger mode) is a mode in which stable sounds form a major (large) triad, that is, a consonance that consists of three sounds. The sounds of a major triad are arranged in thirds: between the lower and middle sounds there is a big one, and between the middle and top sounds there is a small one. Between the upper and lower, a pure fifth is formed. A major triad that is built on the tonic (that is, on the first step of the mode) is a tonic triad.
In this mode, unstable sounds are between stable ones. The major mode consists of seven steps, and the consecutive scale of the mode will be the scale, which we talked about above.
In a major scale, the intervals between steps are arranged in this way: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone.
minor scale(smaller mode) is a mode whose steady sounds form a minor triad. A minor triad consists of a minor third between the lower and middle steps, and a major third between the middle and upper.
In the minor scale, the intervals are arranged as follows: tone, semitone, tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone.
By ear, the minor and major modes are quite easy to distinguish from each other. If the melody sounds cheerful and energetic, then this is a major mode, but if you hear a sad and smooth melody, then this is a minor mode.
Key- this is the height at which the tonic of the mode is located. The name of the key corresponds to the name of its mode, for example: C major, D minor, etc.
Suppose you decide to sing this or that song, but it turned out to be too low for your voice. Therefore, we need to rewrite the melody in a higher key. To do this, you need to rewrite all the notes to the required number of tones higher. But it is worth considering that there are tonalities, and going beyond them is tantamount to creating dissonance. If you are interested in how to transfer a melody from one key to another - write about it in the comments, and we will analyze this topic in detail in the next article.
Minor (from Latin word minor - “smaller”) is a musical mode, the chord of which is based on a minor third. As a rule, the minor sounds sad, sad, depressing.
Major (from the Latin word major - “larger”) is a musical scale, the chord of which is based on a major third. Major is characterized, as a rule, by a joyful, cheerful coloring of the sound.
What is the difference between minor and major
The contrast between major and minor is one of the most important in music. Major is the opposite of minor. According to European tradition sounds are separated using tones and semitones. Due to physical features sounds, as well as the physiological structure of the human ear, even a semitone creates a significant contrast in the perception of sound.
Most often, major chords are perceived by listeners as joyful, and minor chords as sad. For example, remember how the famous major work sounds - Mendelssohn's "Wedding March". However, not all marches are usually energetic and cheerful. For example, Chopin's "" was created in a minor key, so when listening, a mournful, tragic feeling appears.
Minor has a pronounced "negative" coloring, and major - "positive". Such a feature of the sound of music is usually characterized by a person as "sadness" or "joy". Moreover, what is especially interesting, the emotional coloring of chords does not depend in any way on changes in the volume or timbre of their constituent sounds.
Nevertheless, it also happens that the major key can express lyrical, tragic feelings, while the minor key can express joyful and bright ones. For example, many American blues are created in major, but the Russian incendiary "Gypsy" - oddly enough, in minor.
By analogy, in the language a sad, dull, depressed, mournful mood is called a minor, and an upbeat, cheerful, cheerful state of mind is called a major.
Difference between minor and major
Thus, the difference between minor and major is as follows:
- in music, a minor chord is built on a minor third, and a major chord is built on a major one;
- both in major and in minor scales the order of intervals is different (both tones and semitones);
- usually the minor has a gloomy and dark, and the major has a light color of sounding;
- minor causes negative emotions, such as grief, despondency, sadness, and major - positive (joy);
- also a dull, sad, depressed state is often called a minor, and an upbeat, cheerful, cheerful mood is often called a major.
