Q. I'm trying to figure out how to play a piece on the piano and so far I have figured out that it has both an E flat and a B flat. It would really help with the chords if I knew what key this piece is in! Also is it a major or minor key? Thanks!
A. With two flats only ,(Bb,Eb), the most likely key is Bb major. If it has frequent F#'s as accidentals and has a final chord which contains the note G then it is most likely in the relative key of G minor (still with the Bb and Eb).
Musician, composer, teacher.
How do chords and musical keys work?
Q. Like, let's say I establish a melody that uses...I don't know, F# and B flat. What would that mean? And how do I know what chords sound good with which notes?
Basically I'm looking for a lesson on musical theory for really, really dumb people. Like, you're going to need to dumb it down majorly.
Your help is very much appreciated!
A. 1) You first need to understand the chromatic scale. In other words, you need to realize that there are 12 unique notes that repeat every octave. You see how on the piano that there is a pattern after every 12 notes?
2) Next, you need to know the Major Scale. The major scale is the cornerstone of music theory - learn it, live it, love it. First we need to define Whole Steps and Half Steps. A whole step is when you start at a note, and make a jump of 2 notes (like from C to D, or A flat to Bflat). A half step is a jump of one note (like from B to C, or F# to G). The major scale is first formed by picking a random note, lets say, C. Then you follow the major scale pattern: whole step, whole step, half step, whole step, whole step, whole step, half step. So if you start on C, the major scale would be C,D,E,F,G,A,B, and back to C. Another example: If you start on G, then the G Major scale would be G,A,B,C,D,E,F#,G.
3) The key of a song basically tells the band what major scale to play in and pick notes to play from. This is very important because if your song is in the key of G major, but if a band member plays A flat, then that note will sound "off-key" - it will sound wrong.
4) It is also important to realize that chords come from the individual notes of the major scales as well. Lets say we are in the key of C Major. The notes in our key are C,D,E,F,G,A,B, and C. The C major chord is formed by playing the 1st, 3rd, and 5th notes of the C major scale together. C-E-G played together will be a C Major chord. Notice that the chord is formed by stacking 3rds. By this I mean that to go from C to E, you go C - D - E. You had to go up 3 notes in the major scale to get to the E. So just realize that C-E is an interval of a third, and E-G is an interval of a third. Now, you will see that there are In fact more chords that exist in the key of C Major. There are a total of 7 chords that can be played in each key. Staying in the key of C Major, the other chords are: If you start on D, you can get the chord D minor by playing D-F-A at the same time, you can get E minor by playing E-G-B at the same time, F Major: F-A-C, G Major G-B-D, A minor: A-C-E, and B diminished: B-D-F. Each chord has its own charataristics. Major chords tend to sound happy, minor chords tend to sound sad or dark, and diminished chords have a lot of tension.
5) Chords themselves, each have a vital function and interact with the melody played at the same time, and previous chords played. It is worth pointing out that we assign the chords in each key a number. For example, in C Major, our 1 chord is C Major, because if we start on the first note, we get C Major. Starting on the 2nd note, we get D minor, so D minor is our 2 chord. 3 is E minor, 4 is F Major, 5 is G Major, 6 is A minor, and 7 is B diminished. The reason we number the chords in each major scale, is because each chord number has a function. Songs usually start and end on the 1 chord, sometimes the 6 chord if it is a sad song. The 5 chord has tension that wants to get resolved so the 5 chord likes to go to the 1 chord after it is played. It is common to play the 2 chord before the 5 chord, in fact, the 2-5-1 chord progression is the most important chord progression of all time. Other common chord progressions heard in pop/rock music include: 1-5-6-4, 6-4-1-5, and 1-6-4-5.
6) If you have a melody, you need to figure out what key it is in by finding out what major scale contains all (or most) of your notes. Your song has a melody with F# and B flat. This could be F# Major, B Major, or C# Major, depending on the rest of your melody or desired harmony. Once you decide on a key, you can find out what chords fit into this key, and play them under your melody.
I know it is a lot of information, don't get discouraged. It will take a while for it to all make sense, but don't give up. It will be totally worth it when you are making all kinds of music you like!!!
how can i sing a high b flat in 2 weeks?
Q. i need to be able to hit a high b flat in 2 weeks for an audition, but i can only sometimes hit a high g! what are some quick excercizes that will make me be able to hit it more? right now im just going up the scales with 'do re mi fa so la te do'. i practice it every day for right now cuz im on break.
i have a vocal coach [but i dont see her untill after this audition]
also its only one note that i have o sing high b
A. I don't want to put cold water on this, but attempting to sing three half-notes higher than your highest note in your current range in two week is not safe. Not at all safe, no way. I agree with the above that you might be auditioning for a soprano part when you are really a mezzo; this is dangerous, as forcing your voice into performing that higher tessitura will be an overall painful and damaging process.
If you still want to go out for this part, I suggest working with the piano to see if you can modify that note. For example, if you know solfege, there is a place in a song I'm singing where the actual music is written to go from Do to Fa, but it sounds just find going Do to Sol or Do to Mi as well. Also, you might be able to sing the note down a third, as that would be a G-flat and within your range. Or look at the chord in the accompaniment when you are supposed to sing the B-flat. Is there a G-flat in the chord? Try singing that and see if it sounds okay. No G-flat there? Try picking another note in the chord that is below the B-flat. Don't forget to look in the bass clef accompaniment, too, as you could just sing one of those notes an octave higher.
I'd e-mail your voice teacher and tell her/him about the situation; I suspect they will advise you strongly against trying for such a large extension of your range in such a short period of time, warning you of possibly damaging your chords. Please find another way around this note than trying to screech it out in two weeks; take care of your instrument, you can't get a new one!
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