Upper case roman numerals represent Major triads while lower case roman numerals represent minor triads. Roman numerals are used to denote each tone/triad. Triads (aka 3 note chords) are built upon each one of these tones. Each tone in a diatonic key has seven notes with a unique name for each one of them. They overlap at the bottom of the circle which is why you have enharmonic keys (the same keys with different note names).Ī Major scale is also known as the diatonic scale. Notice how the circle accumulates sharps as you move clockwise and flats counter-clockwise. The number you see beside each sharp or flat signifies how many sharps or flats exist in those keys.
The circle of 5ths is a very effective tool to represent Major keys of music as well as their enharmonic Major keys. Again, these are Major keys with the same notes but different note names. There are three pairs of Major enharmonic keys. Neither will have sharps and flats mixed together. One will have sharps and the other has flats. These are referred to as enharmonic keys. Some keys of music have the very same notes but have different note names. Sharps and Flats for Major and minor Key Signatures Major Key Sharps indicate notes that are moved up a half step (or one key). It’s very simple to learn key signatures. Key SignaturesĪ Key signature is a set of sharps, flats or none at all at the beginning of a piece of music that signifies what key the music is in. For example, the C Major pentatonic scale is based on the key of C Major but only contains five notes out of the seven notes the key of C Major consists of. (I’ll get into the specifics on this shortly)Ī key of music is a series of musical pitches in which all of them can be present, or a select few.
But if I had to differentiate them by definition, I would say that a scale is seen as a series of notes that occur in a specific position in relation to the tonic or first note of the scale. Scales vs KeysĪs I stated earlier, scales and keys are synonymous. A Key of music is synonymous with a musical scale. Knowing the key of any given piece of music gives you the tools to play the notes, keys, chords and progressions that exist in that particular key.Ī key of music on the piano is a pattern of seven different scale tones or musical pitches that are the basis of the notes used in a song or piece of music.
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