1.9: Minor Keys and Key Signatures
- Page ID
- 186171
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9.1 Introduction
Chapter 8 discusses how pieces that draw primarily from the pitches of a major scale are said to be in that major key. Similarly, pieces that draw primarily from the pitches of a minor scale—a scale based on the W-H-W-W-H-W-W pattern of whole steps and half steps—are said to be in that minor key. Minor key signatures can likewise be derived from the accidentals of the corresponding diatonic minor scale.
In this chapter we will discuss how a minor key is constructed and established as well as how minor key signatures are written and used. (We will return to this topic once more in Chapter 16, when we discuss variant forms of the minor scale.)
9.2 Minor keys
\[\hat3\]
\[\hat1\]
The following melody is adapted from Chopin’s second piano sonata. It is in a minor key:
As with major keys, a melody or piece is said to be in a minor key if it uses primarily the pitches of a minor scale and gives the tonic a position of primary importance. This melody is in A minor: it begins and ends on A and uses the pitches of the diatonic A-minor scale (A, B, C, D, E, F, and G). The tonic, A, is the most important pitch in this melody. It serves as a stable starting point and brings a sense of closure when it returns at the end. All of the other pitches are organized hierarchically around A and have varying levels of stability. The Cs in mm. 5-8, for example, bring a sense of arrival. They sound stable, but not as stable as the final A.
Were the melody in Example 9–2 to be transposed to a different minor key, the new tonic would be heard in the same way even though the pitch level would be different:
Example 9–3 transposes the melody to Bb minor (the original key, as written by Chopin). It now has a new set of pitches (those of the Bb-minor scale) and Bb is heard as the new tonic.
Now consider the following melody:
This melody is in F minor. For the most part, it uses the pitches of an F minor scale. Note, however, that it also includes E§ in m. 6. The presence of E§ does not prevent the listener from hearing F as the tonic. In fact, it helps make the arrival on F sound more conclusive. Unlike their major counterparts, minor scales are used in several variant forms which include one or more pitch classes from outside the diatonic scale. We will discuss these altered versions of minor in Chapter 17. The remaining sections of this chapter will be concerned only with the unaltered diatonic minor.
Activity 9-1
Activity 9–1
Identify the key of each of the following melodies in minor:
Exercise 9–1a:
Question
To which minor key has the Chopin melody been transposed below?
Hint
Look to the beginning and end of the melody for important stable notes that might represent the tonic.
Answer
E minor
Exercise 9–1b:
Question
The following melody is in which minor key?
Hint
Look to the beginning and end of the melody for important stable notes that might represent the tonic. Note that there may be pitches that do not belong to the the corresponding diatonic minor scale.
Answer
C minor
9.3 Minor key signatures
Like major keys, minor keys are represented with key signatures. These contain the same sharps and flats as the diatonic minor scale. The following example adds an F-minor key signature to the melody from Example 9–4:
\[\hat6\]
Minor key signatures also come in two varieties: those with sharps and and those flats. The following examples show all of the minor key signatures up to seven sharps or flats:
As you can see, minor key signatures look just like major key signatures. The accidentals are written in the same order and pattern on the staff.
Activity 9-2
Activity 9–2
Write each of the following minor key signatures as requested on the staff provided.
Exercise 9–2a:
Question
Write a D-minor key signature:
Answer
Exercise 9–2b:
Question
Write a B-minor key signature:
Answer
Exercise 9–2c:
Question
Write a Bb-minor key signature:
Answer
Exercise 9–2d:
Question
Write a C#-minor key signature:
Answer
9.4 Parallel and relative keys
Parallel keys, as discussed in Chapter 7, are keys that share the same tonic. C major and C minor, for example, are parallel keys:
\[\hat3\]
Activity 9-3
Activity 9–3
Answer the following questions regarding parallel keys and their key signatures.
Exercise 9–3a:
Question
How many sharps or flats does the key signature for A major have?
Answer
3 sharps
Follow-up question
What is the parallel minor of A major?
Hint
Remember, parallel keys have the same tonic.
Answer
A minor
Follow-up question
How many sharps or flats does the key signature for the parallel minor of A major have?
Answer
0 sharps and 0 flats
Follow-up question
Write out the key signatures for A major and its parallel minor:
Answer
A major:
A minor:
Exercise 9–3b:
Question
How many sharps or flats does the key signature for E major have?
Answer
4 sharps
Follow-up question
What is the parallel minor of E major?
Hint
Remember, parallel keys have the same tonic.
Answer
E minor
Follow-up question
How many sharps or flats does the key signature for the parallel minor of E major have?
Answer
1 sharp
Follow-up question
Write out the key signatures for E major and its parallel minor.
Answer
E major:
E minor:
Parallel keys have a strong relationship with one another. Despite having only four of their seven scale degrees in common, the shared tonic tends to lead listeners to hear them as different versions of the same key as opposed to being completely foreign to one another. There are, however, some pairs of major and minor keys that have the exact same key signature. These are known as relative keys and they too have a strong relationship with one another. Eb major and C minor, for example, both have three flats in their key signature:
\[\hat6\]
\[\hat1\]
Activity 9-4
Activity 9–4
Answer the following questions regarding relative keys and their key signatures.
Exercise 9–4a:
Question
What is the relative major of G minor?
Hint
Remember, the tonic of the relative major is a minor third above the tonic of a minor key.
Answer
Bb major
Follow-up question
How many sharps or flats does their shared key signature have?
Answer
2 flats
Follow-up question
Write out the key signature for G minor and its relative major on the staff provided:
Answer
Exercise 9–4b:
Question
What is the relative major of B minor?
Hint
Remember, the tonic of the relative major is a minor third above the tonic of a minor key.
Answer
D major
Follow-up question
How many sharps or flats does their shared key signature have?
Answer
2 sharps
Follow-up question
Write out the key signature for B minor and its relative major on the staff provided:
Answer
9.5 Summary
\[\hat3\]
As with major keys, minor keys are based on the pitches of the corresponding scale and are indicated by key signatures at the beginning of each new line of music. Minor key signatures are derived from the diatonic version of the minor scale. Minor key signatures look just like major key signatures and follow the same pattern and placement on the staff.
Minor keys can be closely related to major keys in several different ways. Parallel keys—C major and C minor, for example—share the same tonic. Relative keys—C minor and Eb major, for example—have different tonics but share the same key signature. Every key signature, then, can be used to represent two different (relative) keys.