Serial (12-Tone) Composition
12-Tone Serial Compositions Serialism is an Avant Garde composition technique that was invented in the 1920s by a composer called Schoenberg. In a serial or “12-tone” composition, the composer begins …
The Musical Modes
Modes in Music What does “Mode” mean in music? The term “mode” has two distinct meanings. It can refer to “church modes” which were used to classify Gregorian chant in …
How to Write Scales
Whare are musical scales? There are many types of musical scale. A scale is a series of notes which is fixed by a particular pattern of tones and semitones. Semitones …
How to Work Out the Key
When you need to work out what key some music is in, there are some important rules to follow and some common traps avoid! Use the key signature – this …
Identifying the Key
Identifying the Key The key signature at the start of a piece of music represents one major key, and one minor key. In sharp major keys, the sharp written furthest …
Key Signatures Chart
Key Signatures Chart Here are all the key signatures up to 7 sharps/flats in the four clefs – treble, bass, alto and tenor.
Identifying Prevailing Key
Identifying the Prevailing Key To work out the prevailing key at any point in a piece of music, remember that chords generally belong to one of three types: These 2 …
Identifying the Home Key
Key ID and Chromatic Notes The key signature at the start of a piece of music represents one major key, and one minor key. To work out whether the piece …
The Whole Tone Scale
The Whole Tone Scale The whole-tone scale is a six-note scale, where each note is a tone (whole step) higher/lower than the next. There are two varieties: Since the interval …
Minor Scales with 7 Sharps/Flats
A# Minor A# minor is the relative minor key to C# major. Both have 7 sharps in the key signature. Here are the A# harmonic minor scales: And the A# …