5.1: Minor Keys Introduction
- Page ID
- 325146
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By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Determine if a piece of music is in a major or minor key.
- Identify the three types of minor scales.
- Sing a basic melody using minor solfège syllables.
Minor Keys
When we discuss and analyze European-based tonal music, we tend to describe it in terms of major or minor. What is being described with these terms is the overall tonality of the music. Tonality refers to a hierarchy of pitches and chords within a given musical work; most European-based music is composed using a system of tonality in which the tonic (do) is the most important pitch and chord, and the dominant (sol) is the second-most important pitch and chord because it ultimately leads the music back to the tonic. In tonal music, there is greater focus on certain intervals and chords over others.
Major keys have certain qualities of intervals that give it a bright or strong sound. Minor keys have certain qualities of intervals that give it a subdued or melancholy sound. These descriptions of qualities are entirely subjective and vary from person to person and culture to culture. You will find your own ways to describe each of these as you spend time actively listening to music.
Key Terms
- Major: the tonality of the scale that is characterized by the presence of a major third, major sixth, and major seventh
- Minor: the tonality of the scale that is characterized by the presence of a minor third, a minor or major sixth, and a minor or major seventh
- Tonality: a hierarchy of pitches and chords within a given musical work
- Natural minor: the type of minor scale that is characterized by a lowered third scale degree, a lowered sixth scale degree, and a lowered seventh scale degree in relation to the parallel major
- Harmonic minor: the type of minor scale that is characterized by a lowered third scale degree, a lowered sixth scale degree, and a raised seventh scale degree
- Melodic minor: the type of minor scale that is characterized by a lowered third scale degree for the ascending scale, and a lowered seventh scale degree, a lowered sixth scale degree, and a lowered third scale degree for the descending scale
- Relative: when two major and minor scales share the same key signature (i.e. C major and A minor)
- Parallel: when two major and minor scales start on the same note name, but use different key signatures (i.e. C major and C minor)