Key Signature Lesson for Teachers by John Mark Piper

Key Signatures and Relative Keys A teacher's guide for teaching Key Signatures and Relative Keys by John Mark Piper

If you've ever taught relative keys and key signatures, you know that it's advantageous to have a well thought out plan before beginning. Relative keys and key signature knowledge is necessary even at beginning levels but requires more than just a basic understanding of music to get it right. It's also helpful for percussion teachers to understand the purpose and importance of adding this topic to their lesson plans. Students can obviously learn to play notes on a page without fully understanding any part of what they are doing and teachers could simply coach students into pushing the buttons to make the sounds represented by the notes on the page. But in order to lead a student toward becoming a complete musician, it is essential that learning to organize sound using as many tools as possible be incorporated into their daily routine from the beginning. Among the most important of those tools to be developed is ear training based on tonal centers or keys. Ear Training is largely just organizing the sounds of music into identifiable patterns that are usually RELATED TO A KEY. When the student's ears are confused as to what key they are relating their music to, a shaky foundation is started that obscures the organizational process, and the piece or exercise they are working on accomplishes only the notes on that page. Understanding what key to relate the music to is a very basic element to becoming a complete musician and should be incorporated into the incremental learning process of the student's development. To correctly identify keys and key signatures, the students must first understand the difference between an actual key, the key signature and the relationship that exists between major, minor and modal keys. The term "relative major" and "relative minor" are terms that are often used but not always understood or explained to students. It takes time to sort it out for them but it is time well spent. Consider this: If you name a key by simply looking at the key signature alone, you probably have about a 50 percent chance of getting it right. If you consider the key signature along with the first and last note as a hint for choosing the correct key (as many do), you increase your guessing odds. Continuing with this analytical approach, adding more complex information such as strong and weak beat - sub-dominant to dominant theory including intervallic, harmonic and rhythmic analysis, we can continue to increase our guessing odds but if we don't learn and teach to "hear" the definitive answer of where "Do" or the tonic is, we're just educated guessers creating more educated guessers. This essay's objective is to offer a definitive explanation of keys and key signatures that eliminates the guessing, and helps outline a simple plan for teaching it. Then, all aspects of music, including theory and analysis have a true basis from which to begin and is more meaningful and less confusing. Relative major and minor keys: Relative keys are keys made of melodies or note groups that share the same key signature but whose "tonic" or tonal centers are different. For instance: If you play a scale of notes from C to C (an octave higher) using no sharps or flats, you are using notes derived from C major. The key signature will be no sharps and no flats and the "Tonic" or tonal center created by these notes in this order will be C. Tonic or tonal center can be taught as having a "gravitational-type" pull. To demonstrate the strength of the tonic or gravity, play the C major scale ascending up and stop on "B"and hold it. Everyone with a musical ear will feel a push to resolve it to "C". This very strong gravitational-type pull toward C creates a natural sense of finality or ending when you play the note C. In other words, the order of the preceding notes (melody) have set up an environment making "C" the tonic. Spending a little time explaining and demonstrating this "gravitational" pull toward the tonic using melodies can make teaching keys and key signatures much easier for the teacher and more meaningful for students. Play and listen to example 1 for a melodic demonstration in a major key.

ÂŠPiper's Loft, Inc. 2005

Example 1: Key signature of C with obvious C tonic

j & 44 œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ œ œ˙

œ œœ œ œ

œ œ ˙ rit.

Tonic

Example 1 is an obvious example of C major. Common melodies like this are probably the reason students and teachers often make the mistake of assuming that the first or last note of a melody will always reveal the correct identity of the key. In example 2, (also in C major), you must listen to the overall sound of the melody to determine what the tonic is. In some cases, it's not always clear until more of the song or harmony is revealed. There is usually a pitch (not necessary in the melody) that stands out as tonic. (Play example 2).

j œ œœ j j œ œ ‰ œ œ œ œ œ . œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ ‰ œ œœœœœ œ ˙

Example 2 in C major with no tonic in the melody.

& 44

Sharing Key Signatures: Minor keys and modes share the same key signatures and notes as their relative major keys but have melodies that create a "gravitational" pull toward a note other than the note the key signature appears to indicate. Melody, harmony and rhythm can be manipulated to create different tonal centers or gravitational pull. For instance, a melody can be made up of notes that are all from the C major scale but have a tonal center of another note in that scale. This occurrence changes the key but not the key signature. In example 3 the whole notes are in the order of the C major scale. The eighth notes are creating "sub-scales" called Modes built from each degree of the major scale. Some modes have a minor sound and some have a major sound. The first mode (measure 1 of example 3) is called the Ionian mode. It is commonly known as the Major Scale. You will notice that all the notes in example 3 are from the C major scale and therefore share the same key signature. Notice that each sub-scale (mode) is starting and ending on a different degree of the major scale.

œ œ & wœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ wœ œ œ œ œ œ œ wœ œ œ œ œ œ

Example 3: Modes

Dorian mode

œ wœ œ œ œ œ

œœ

œ œœ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ wœ œ wœ œ œ wœ œ œ œ & wœ œ œ œ Ionian mode

Phrygian mode

Lydian mode

Mixolydian mode

Aeolian mode

Locrian mode

©Piper's Loft, Inc. June 2005

Ionion mode

Dorian: A melody using the same group of notes as the C major scale but in an order or pattern that causes "D" (thesecond degree of the major scale) to sound as tonic is in the key of "D" Dorian Mode. 18

&œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙

Phrygian: A melody using the same group of notes as the C major scale but in an order or pattern that causes "E" (the third of the major scale) to sound as tonic is in the key of "E" Phrygian mode. 22

& œœœœœ œ œ œ œ œ œœœœœ œ ˙

œœœœ˙ œ œ œ œ œœœœœ œ œ œ

Lydian A melody using the same group of notes as the C major scale but in an order or pattern that causes "F" (the fourth of the major scale) to sound as tonic is in the key of "F" Lydian. 26

& 44 œj œ . Jœ œ œ

œœœœŒ œ

œ. œ œ œ J

œ Ó

Mixolydian: A melody using the same group of notes as the C major scale but in an order or pattern that causes "G" (the fifth of the major scale) to sound as tonic is in the key of "G" mixolydian. 31

& 44 œj

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ

œ œ œ œ Ó

Aeolian: A melody using the same group of notes as the C major scale but in an order or pattern that causes "A" (the sixth of the major scale) to sound as tonic is in the key of "A" Aeolian. A aeolian is also known as the natural minor. 34

œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ &

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙

Locrian: A melody using the same group of notes as the C major scale but in an order or pattern that causes "B" (the seventh of the major scale) to sound as tonic is in the key of "B" Locrian.

j œœ œœ œ œ œ œ 4 œ ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ œ J œ &4 J

These examples are based on the C major key signature for clearity and ease but all modes, scales and information contained in this essay are transposible and applicable to all keys and key signatures.

Identifying Major Key Signatures: The key of a piece of music is established by the creation of a tonal center (tonic) through the manipulation of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic patterns. When we speak of "key signatures" we are usually referring back to the keys (ionian) major regardless of what key it is actually used to create. The key signature of C can be used to create the key's of C Ionian, D Dorian, E Phrygian, F Lydian, G Mixolydian, A Aeolian, and B Locrian. Tympanist who must often relate pitch accurately by reference tuning, it is imparitive that he/she have a strong understanding of keys and tonal centers. Key Signatures: The following is a basic method for naming key signatures Note: There are two key signatures that you must memorize to identify. They are the key of C, which has no sharps and no flats and the key of F which has one flat. All the rest can be figured out using the following formula. The keys of F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb use flats in the key signature. The keys of G, D, A, E, B, F#, C# use sharps in the key signature. No sharps and no flats key signature of C

Flats: The order the flats are added is always the same. If C only one flat is present, it will be on the B line, 44 indicating the key signature of F. Two flats present will F Bb be on B and E indicating the key of Bb. This continues up 46 to 7 flats. The complete order in which the flats are Bb added is: B, E, A, D, G, C, F 48 and are added from left to right.

&b &b

# b

bb b &

b & b bb

The second to the last flat added is the name of the key signature. If three flats are in the key signature, they will be Bb, Eb and Ab. The second to the last flat added is Eb. The key signature is Eb.

bb &bbb

bbb b b b & Gb 54

b & b bbbbb

###

####

#### # # #### # ##

A E B F# C#

The order that the sharps are added to the key signature is (from left to right) F, C, G, D, A, E, B, which is the reverse of the order of flats. The method to identifying a key signature when sharps are used is to go up one half step from the last sharp added. That note identifies the key signature. Example: If there are three sharps in the key signature, they would be F#, C# and G#. From the last sharp added (G#), go up one half step to "A" and that is your key signature.

Practice Suggestions: Ear Training Pathways: The following warm up is designed to help establish and strengthen tonal centers for percussionists, composers and improvisers. I found that it is especially useful for timpanists too. The concept is to work backwards from notes in a key to the tonal center or "DO" using diatonic pathways instead of working forward to notes of a key. By doing so, one can learn the sounds and harmonic function of each note in a key in a similar way to learning the melody of a song. After a very short time invested in practicing the pathways, any musician can begin to establish a basis for relative pitch and notes begin to reveal their pitch by whispering their solfeggio syllable as a result of the pre-conditioning. To begin with, you must first have the melody and solfeggio syllables (do re mi fa sol la ti do) of the major scale memorized forward and backward. Next, establish the key in your ear by playing and singing the major scale with solfeggio syllables. Repeat the scale when you feel you need to strengthen the key center in your ear. Note: It is necessary to first learn to sing the scale with syllables forward and backward in tune, with ease. Major scale: do re mi fa sol la ti do ti la sol fa mi re do Play and sing the following pathways until they become automatic sounding poems. Allow the first note to sustain long enough to settle in your ear (two or three seconds), then resolve it to "Do" using the shortest diatonic pathway. Diatonic Pathways for Ionion or Major Scale: do re…. do mi ….re do fa ….mi re do sol ….la ti do la…. ti do ti ….do Random order sample: After the the pathways become familiar, play and sing them at a keyboard in random order for several minutes each day. ti ….do sol ….la ti do mi ….re do re…. do la ….ti do fa…. mi re do The above warm up should be played and sang each day at the beginning of practice. Minor and Modal Keys: The pathways approach can also be applied to minor and modal keys. Simply begin "Do" on the tonic and adjust the altered sylibles. For example, the Pathways in Dorian will be: do re....do me....re do fa....me re do sol....la te do la....te do te do do

me is pronounced "may" te is pronounced "tay"

After the pathways are strong and clear in your ear, it is excellent practice to take a radio into the practice room and turn it to your favorite music station. While listening to the songs, identify "do" and the accompanying scale primary to the key of the song. If you're working with tympani, write a dozen or so random solfeggio syllables down ahead of time and practice tuning the tympani to those syllables using only your ears and the songs on the radio for pitch relationship. Different songs will offer new and practical challenges for the same pitches. If you're working on mallets, use the radio the same way except that after you identify "do" in your head, find it on the instrument along with the rest of the notes in the key. Then, sing and play random notes with their pathways back to "Do". To test your accuracy, play the complete scale. If you've found it, you'll know it, if you're not sure, keep looking and/or return to the pathways. If your favorite station is too difficult, turn it to a pop, rock, country or other station in which the harmonic content is less complex. The following is an example of a practice exercise for identifying key signatures: 58

# Ionian

####

Dorian

###

Phrygian

####

Lydian

# Mixolydian

Aeolian

Locrian