Determining the Key of a Piece
It is important for you to be able to recognize what key a piece is in, and the way to do this is to identify it from the sharps or flats of the key signature.
The key signature, however, does not distinguish between major and relative minor keys; for example, a key signature of Bb (as in the previous song) could indicate either F major or D minor. The two main guidelines for determining whether a piece is in the major or relative minor key are:
- The presence of the 7th note of the minor scale (the leading note). This is the only note of a minor scale (except the "natural" minor) which is not found in its relative major, thus a C# note in the music will strongly suggest the key of D minor rather than F major.
- The name of the finishing note (or chord). A piece very often finishes on its root note and thus a D note at the end would suggest the key of D minor (quite often a piece will also begin on the root note).
This scale study introduces % time, where there are 2 quarter note beats per bar. Carefully observe the count, which is written underneath the first 2 bars, and the accent signs placed on each beat. % time is rhythmically similar to * time and is sometimes called march time.
Play through each part separately, and then combine them by either playing with another guitarist or using a recording device. Note the use of the Bb note (bar 13) which is located on the first string at the 6th fret, and the fingering used in bars 12 and 13.
