Are you still playing a scale if you don't include every note in said scale? [duplicate]

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This question already has an answer here:



  • Do you have to use all notes in a particular scale

    2 answers



For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key? Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right? It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key. Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyze, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something. I'm sorry if these are stupid questions but I'm having a difficult time understanding scales and keys as a beginner.










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Jan 15 at 15:29


This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.













  • 4





    You're still confusing the terms scale and key. A scale must contain every note belonging to it - otherwise it's not that complete scale. Most pieces are in a key - that's signified by the appropriate key signature at the beginning of each line. A piece in a certain key can and will use whichever appropriate notes it needs for that piece. Other, non-diatonic, notes can also be used without 'breaking any rules'. Wasn't this made clear in the last question/answers?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:00











  • I thought so but I was still confused. This cleared things up a bit.

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:38















2
















This question already has an answer here:



  • Do you have to use all notes in a particular scale

    2 answers



For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key? Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right? It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key. Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyze, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something. I'm sorry if these are stupid questions but I'm having a difficult time understanding scales and keys as a beginner.










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This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.













  • 4





    You're still confusing the terms scale and key. A scale must contain every note belonging to it - otherwise it's not that complete scale. Most pieces are in a key - that's signified by the appropriate key signature at the beginning of each line. A piece in a certain key can and will use whichever appropriate notes it needs for that piece. Other, non-diatonic, notes can also be used without 'breaking any rules'. Wasn't this made clear in the last question/answers?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:00











  • I thought so but I was still confused. This cleared things up a bit.

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:38













2












2








2









This question already has an answer here:



  • Do you have to use all notes in a particular scale

    2 answers



For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key? Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right? It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key. Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyze, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something. I'm sorry if these are stupid questions but I'm having a difficult time understanding scales and keys as a beginner.










share|improve this question















This question already has an answer here:



  • Do you have to use all notes in a particular scale

    2 answers



For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key? Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right? It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key. Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyze, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something. I'm sorry if these are stupid questions but I'm having a difficult time understanding scales and keys as a beginner.





This question already has an answer here:



  • Do you have to use all notes in a particular scale

    2 answers







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asked Jan 15 at 7:51









コナーゲティコナーゲティ

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marked as duplicate by Dom theory
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This question has been asked before and already has an answer. If those answers do not fully address your question, please ask a new question.









  • 4





    You're still confusing the terms scale and key. A scale must contain every note belonging to it - otherwise it's not that complete scale. Most pieces are in a key - that's signified by the appropriate key signature at the beginning of each line. A piece in a certain key can and will use whichever appropriate notes it needs for that piece. Other, non-diatonic, notes can also be used without 'breaking any rules'. Wasn't this made clear in the last question/answers?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:00











  • I thought so but I was still confused. This cleared things up a bit.

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:38












  • 4





    You're still confusing the terms scale and key. A scale must contain every note belonging to it - otherwise it's not that complete scale. Most pieces are in a key - that's signified by the appropriate key signature at the beginning of each line. A piece in a certain key can and will use whichever appropriate notes it needs for that piece. Other, non-diatonic, notes can also be used without 'breaking any rules'. Wasn't this made clear in the last question/answers?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:00











  • I thought so but I was still confused. This cleared things up a bit.

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:38







4




4





You're still confusing the terms scale and key. A scale must contain every note belonging to it - otherwise it's not that complete scale. Most pieces are in a key - that's signified by the appropriate key signature at the beginning of each line. A piece in a certain key can and will use whichever appropriate notes it needs for that piece. Other, non-diatonic, notes can also be used without 'breaking any rules'. Wasn't this made clear in the last question/answers?

– Tim
Jan 15 at 8:00





You're still confusing the terms scale and key. A scale must contain every note belonging to it - otherwise it's not that complete scale. Most pieces are in a key - that's signified by the appropriate key signature at the beginning of each line. A piece in a certain key can and will use whichever appropriate notes it needs for that piece. Other, non-diatonic, notes can also be used without 'breaking any rules'. Wasn't this made clear in the last question/answers?

– Tim
Jan 15 at 8:00













I thought so but I was still confused. This cleared things up a bit.

– コナーゲティ
Jan 15 at 8:38





I thought so but I was still confused. This cleared things up a bit.

– コナーゲティ
Jan 15 at 8:38










1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes


















8














In spirit, this seems similar to: Do the notes in a scale have to be played in order?.




For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key?




If the home note was C, it would be considered playing in the key of C major. (People don't really talk about 'playing in' a scale, in Western music theory at least).




Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right?




Of course - you're right.



Analogies are never perfect, but let's try one - the English alphabet.



  • If someone asks you to write the English alphabet, you should write ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. That's the alphabet. You shouldn't write RSVFGOPQWXYZHIJNKLMABCDETU, because that's not the study form of the alphabet.


  • If someone tells you to write some words that use the English alphabet, you can write the letters in orders that convey the meaning you want. "CAT", "DOG", "PANGOLIN".


  • and if someone tells you to write in English, you will mostly be using letters from English, but you might use some letters that are not in the English alphabet: "Send me your résumé".
    'é' Is not a letter from the English alphabet, but that sentence is still English.


Similarly, in music,



  • if someone tells you to "play the C major scale", you should play CDEFGABC.

  • if someone tells you to play a sequence of notes or melody using the C major scale, you can use the notes in whatever order you like

  • if someone tells you to play in the key of C major, then you will mostly play notes from the C major scale, in whatever order you like, and you might even play some other notes outside C major - as long as your "home note" or tonic for the piece is C.


It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key.




Well, playing notes outside of the scale is a different thing to playing the notes in the scale, but not in order.



But again, yes, you're right. When we talk about Playing in a key, that's a general, overall, description of the piece's tonality, but often notes outside of the scale associated with the key are used. That's the main reason we have accidentals.




Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyse, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something.




From a beginner point of view, you should probably assume that all instruments will be playing in the same key, and mostly playing notes from the scale associated with that key, as in real music that is usually what you will find. If you really find more than one scale in use in a piece, it may be polytonal and impossible to describe using one key.






share|improve this answer

























  • I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:43











  • Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:46






  • 1





    Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:49











  • @Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 8:51











  • @コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 9:01

















1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes








1 Answer
1






active

oldest

votes









active

oldest

votes






active

oldest

votes









8














In spirit, this seems similar to: Do the notes in a scale have to be played in order?.




For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key?




If the home note was C, it would be considered playing in the key of C major. (People don't really talk about 'playing in' a scale, in Western music theory at least).




Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right?




Of course - you're right.



Analogies are never perfect, but let's try one - the English alphabet.



  • If someone asks you to write the English alphabet, you should write ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. That's the alphabet. You shouldn't write RSVFGOPQWXYZHIJNKLMABCDETU, because that's not the study form of the alphabet.


  • If someone tells you to write some words that use the English alphabet, you can write the letters in orders that convey the meaning you want. "CAT", "DOG", "PANGOLIN".


  • and if someone tells you to write in English, you will mostly be using letters from English, but you might use some letters that are not in the English alphabet: "Send me your résumé".
    'é' Is not a letter from the English alphabet, but that sentence is still English.


Similarly, in music,



  • if someone tells you to "play the C major scale", you should play CDEFGABC.

  • if someone tells you to play a sequence of notes or melody using the C major scale, you can use the notes in whatever order you like

  • if someone tells you to play in the key of C major, then you will mostly play notes from the C major scale, in whatever order you like, and you might even play some other notes outside C major - as long as your "home note" or tonic for the piece is C.


It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key.




Well, playing notes outside of the scale is a different thing to playing the notes in the scale, but not in order.



But again, yes, you're right. When we talk about Playing in a key, that's a general, overall, description of the piece's tonality, but often notes outside of the scale associated with the key are used. That's the main reason we have accidentals.




Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyse, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something.




From a beginner point of view, you should probably assume that all instruments will be playing in the same key, and mostly playing notes from the scale associated with that key, as in real music that is usually what you will find. If you really find more than one scale in use in a piece, it may be polytonal and impossible to describe using one key.






share|improve this answer

























  • I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:43











  • Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:46






  • 1





    Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:49











  • @Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 8:51











  • @コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 9:01















8














In spirit, this seems similar to: Do the notes in a scale have to be played in order?.




For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key?




If the home note was C, it would be considered playing in the key of C major. (People don't really talk about 'playing in' a scale, in Western music theory at least).




Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right?




Of course - you're right.



Analogies are never perfect, but let's try one - the English alphabet.



  • If someone asks you to write the English alphabet, you should write ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. That's the alphabet. You shouldn't write RSVFGOPQWXYZHIJNKLMABCDETU, because that's not the study form of the alphabet.


  • If someone tells you to write some words that use the English alphabet, you can write the letters in orders that convey the meaning you want. "CAT", "DOG", "PANGOLIN".


  • and if someone tells you to write in English, you will mostly be using letters from English, but you might use some letters that are not in the English alphabet: "Send me your résumé".
    'é' Is not a letter from the English alphabet, but that sentence is still English.


Similarly, in music,



  • if someone tells you to "play the C major scale", you should play CDEFGABC.

  • if someone tells you to play a sequence of notes or melody using the C major scale, you can use the notes in whatever order you like

  • if someone tells you to play in the key of C major, then you will mostly play notes from the C major scale, in whatever order you like, and you might even play some other notes outside C major - as long as your "home note" or tonic for the piece is C.


It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key.




Well, playing notes outside of the scale is a different thing to playing the notes in the scale, but not in order.



But again, yes, you're right. When we talk about Playing in a key, that's a general, overall, description of the piece's tonality, but often notes outside of the scale associated with the key are used. That's the main reason we have accidentals.




Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyse, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something.




From a beginner point of view, you should probably assume that all instruments will be playing in the same key, and mostly playing notes from the scale associated with that key, as in real music that is usually what you will find. If you really find more than one scale in use in a piece, it may be polytonal and impossible to describe using one key.






share|improve this answer

























  • I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:43











  • Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:46






  • 1





    Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:49











  • @Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 8:51











  • @コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 9:01













8












8








8







In spirit, this seems similar to: Do the notes in a scale have to be played in order?.




For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key?




If the home note was C, it would be considered playing in the key of C major. (People don't really talk about 'playing in' a scale, in Western music theory at least).




Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right?




Of course - you're right.



Analogies are never perfect, but let's try one - the English alphabet.



  • If someone asks you to write the English alphabet, you should write ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. That's the alphabet. You shouldn't write RSVFGOPQWXYZHIJNKLMABCDETU, because that's not the study form of the alphabet.


  • If someone tells you to write some words that use the English alphabet, you can write the letters in orders that convey the meaning you want. "CAT", "DOG", "PANGOLIN".


  • and if someone tells you to write in English, you will mostly be using letters from English, but you might use some letters that are not in the English alphabet: "Send me your résumé".
    'é' Is not a letter from the English alphabet, but that sentence is still English.


Similarly, in music,



  • if someone tells you to "play the C major scale", you should play CDEFGABC.

  • if someone tells you to play a sequence of notes or melody using the C major scale, you can use the notes in whatever order you like

  • if someone tells you to play in the key of C major, then you will mostly play notes from the C major scale, in whatever order you like, and you might even play some other notes outside C major - as long as your "home note" or tonic for the piece is C.


It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key.




Well, playing notes outside of the scale is a different thing to playing the notes in the scale, but not in order.



But again, yes, you're right. When we talk about Playing in a key, that's a general, overall, description of the piece's tonality, but often notes outside of the scale associated with the key are used. That's the main reason we have accidentals.




Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyse, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something.




From a beginner point of view, you should probably assume that all instruments will be playing in the same key, and mostly playing notes from the scale associated with that key, as in real music that is usually what you will find. If you really find more than one scale in use in a piece, it may be polytonal and impossible to describe using one key.






share|improve this answer















In spirit, this seems similar to: Do the notes in a scale have to be played in order?.




For instance, if you're playing C major, and instead of playing C D E F G A B, you play C D E F G A, or C D E F G, would that still be considered playing in that scale or key?




If the home note was C, it would be considered playing in the key of C major. (People don't really talk about 'playing in' a scale, in Western music theory at least).




Because I doubt that most music literally just repeats the exact notes found in a certain scale over and over again to create a melody, otherwise most music would sound the same, right?




Of course - you're right.



Analogies are never perfect, but let's try one - the English alphabet.



  • If someone asks you to write the English alphabet, you should write ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ. That's the alphabet. You shouldn't write RSVFGOPQWXYZHIJNKLMABCDETU, because that's not the study form of the alphabet.


  • If someone tells you to write some words that use the English alphabet, you can write the letters in orders that convey the meaning you want. "CAT", "DOG", "PANGOLIN".


  • and if someone tells you to write in English, you will mostly be using letters from English, but you might use some letters that are not in the English alphabet: "Send me your résumé".
    'é' Is not a letter from the English alphabet, but that sentence is still English.


Similarly, in music,



  • if someone tells you to "play the C major scale", you should play CDEFGABC.

  • if someone tells you to play a sequence of notes or melody using the C major scale, you can use the notes in whatever order you like

  • if someone tells you to play in the key of C major, then you will mostly play notes from the C major scale, in whatever order you like, and you might even play some other notes outside C major - as long as your "home note" or tonic for the piece is C.


It seems like when someone comments a scale or key that a song is in, the notes usually aren't perfectly arranged in the way that you'd expect that scale to be in. Like, there will be other notes interspersed in that aren't part of that scale, but it is still considered in that scale or key.




Well, playing notes outside of the scale is a different thing to playing the notes in the scale, but not in order.



But again, yes, you're right. When we talk about Playing in a key, that's a general, overall, description of the piece's tonality, but often notes outside of the scale associated with the key are used. That's the main reason we have accidentals.




Also, what if multiple instruments are playing simultaneously? Would you judge the melody's scale by each instrument, i.e. the guitar is in C, the bass is in Gb, etc., or do you judge it by the simultaneous notes just as they appear? Because that seems like it would be incredibly confusing and hard to analyse, and I don't think you'd be able to really judge its scales unless the instruments were playing similar notes or something.




From a beginner point of view, you should probably assume that all instruments will be playing in the same key, and mostly playing notes from the scale associated with that key, as in real music that is usually what you will find. If you really find more than one scale in use in a piece, it may be polytonal and impossible to describe using one key.







share|improve this answer














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edited Jan 15 at 9:09

























answered Jan 15 at 8:39









topo mortotopo morto

24.4k241100




24.4k241100












  • I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:43











  • Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:46






  • 1





    Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:49











  • @Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 8:51











  • @コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 9:01

















  • I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:43











  • Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

    – コナーゲティ
    Jan 15 at 8:46






  • 1





    Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

    – Tim
    Jan 15 at 8:49











  • @Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 8:51











  • @コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

    – topo morto
    Jan 15 at 9:01
















I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

– Tim
Jan 15 at 8:43





I was trying to come up with analogies - accents, dialects, etc, so well done! I'd say the scale of C major would also contain the C above that last note B. In all scale books, they will start and finish on the same letter note. A small thing, but would you agree?

– Tim
Jan 15 at 8:43













Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

– コナーゲティ
Jan 15 at 8:46





Thank you, this helped a lot. So a key, including the tonic and everything is pretty subjective, huh? From what I've read, it seems like it's just something you know when you hear. Is this accurate?

– コナーゲティ
Jan 15 at 8:46




1




1





Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

– Tim
Jan 15 at 8:49





Really glad you didn't mention transposing instruments in the last para...

– Tim
Jan 15 at 8:49













@Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

– topo morto
Jan 15 at 8:51





@Tim thanks, you're right - corrected. Analogies are always dangerous as they never quite match perfectly! I guess transposing instruments seem to be another 'dimension' to the problem....

– topo morto
Jan 15 at 8:51













@コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

– topo morto
Jan 15 at 9:01





@コナーゲティ With simple songs, most people usually agree what key a song is in, but it can be subjective - Sweet home Alabama is a classic example where people often disagree about what key it's in! Of course with very complex polytonal music, the idea of 'key' becomes less useful.

– topo morto
Jan 15 at 9:01


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