LearnJazzPiano.com archives: explaining keys

tangman06 -- 06/26/2007, 17:17:26 -- #35599

today i attempted to explain the concept of keys to a student of mine, and i could not think of a good way to explain this concept. any ideas?

jwv76 -- 06/26/2007, 17:38:57 -- #35599

Randy Halberstadt uses a "solar system" analogy, I don't remember all of the specifics, but basically it was like, the key is the solar system, the sun is I, the planets are ii,iii,IV,V,vi and vii, the moons are the chords that function relative to the "planets," like ii-7b5 of ii, V7 of ii, etc. When I took his jazz theory class in college, this is the analogy that made it sink in for me. I think there is a section of his book, Metaphors for the Musician, that does a better job of showing the analogy. I used to have a hand-out from his class that actually mapped out all the possible chords relative to a key in functional harmony as if they were a solar system, that might be in the book also.

Jazz+ -- 06/26/2007, 17:47:02 -- #35599

What do you mean "the concept of keys"?

Whacky -- 06/26/2007, 17:53:27 -- #35599

Most people have heard a major scale enough that they can recognize how it should sound (obviously not all people can)  I have them play a C major scale to "remind" them of how it should sound.  I then have them play either a G or F scale and listen for the "wrong notes" - Believe it or not, most people can tell which notes are wrong and actually make the necessary adjustments. (F# or Bb) Some need a little help, but usually recognize it when shown the correction.   You can then play some familiar melodies in a few different keys to demonstrate. ~usually works for me:)

tangman06 -- 06/26/2007, 21:53:29 -- #35599

jwv76- Yes, I have read Randy's solar metaphor and I am fortunate enough to be taking lessons from him currently. and Jazz+, by that I mean explaining to a student what it means for a tune to be in the Key of F or Bb or whatever. Now that I think about it though, keys really only come into existence in written music, as a way of simplifying the music by reducing accidentals.

7 -- 06/26/2007, 22:06:03 -- #35599

A key is a row of notes that sound good together. The major scale being an obvious example. The concept of a single key came about basically due to laws of physics (see below). The Evolution of the Major Scale The origins of the discovery of the minor pentatonic scale and its transformation into the Major scale. http://www.Jeff-Brent.com/Lessons/EvolutionOfTheMajorScale.html The concept of keys in the plural was not possible until the invention [around Bach's time] of the tempered scale. But now that it has been made technologically possible to play in twelve different keys, we often use the circle of fourths to spice things up in jazz by moving through varying tonal centers as the piece progresses. It is well known that jumping around in keys is a mainstay of jazz harmony. The concept of keys means a knowledge of the different scales and their interlocking harmonization possibilites. Bottom Line: The majority of tunes noodle around in the same set of six or seven notes for most of the song, and take the chord formations inherent in said scale (or mode) and mix them around (usually - but not always - in some circle of fourths or fifths motion).

CynBad -- 06/27/2007, 10:01:24 -- #35599

You're teaching, and you can't explain keys??? I'm sorry, that was snarky of me...

tangman06 -- 06/27/2007, 10:42:32 -- #35599

I'm 16 and I started teaching a few months ago I'm still trying to figure this whole teaching thing out...

Whacky -- 06/27/2007, 11:47:03 -- #35599

Just like learning to play, learning to teach is a never ending pursuit.  I started teaching when I was 15.  I quit for several years to play fulltime, now I'm  47 and teaching full time.  One of the reasons I come here is to pick up on new concepts and teaching ideas.  My hat's off to ya jazz guy :)

acohen5212 -- 06/27/2007, 11:49:11 -- #35599

I took a look at the website mentioned above (http://www.Jeff-Brent.com/Lessons/EvolutionOfTheMajorScale.html), and found this assertion: > If we begin at D, then due to laws of physics, > the two most harmonically consonant notes with D (as with any note) > are either a perfect fourth above or a perfect fourth below So, I took a little physics in high school and college, but I don't know what he means by "harmonically consonant". Can anyone here explain it (or point me to some explanation)? Thanks for any enlightenment!

knotty -- 06/27/2007, 12:51:55 -- #35599

take a second to read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonic the way I understand it, thats why 4th and 5th are called perfect.

CynBad -- 06/27/2007, 13:11:47 -- #35599

Okay, okay, I got my first student when I was 14, so I guess I can remember how it was.

7 -- 06/27/2007, 22:28:45 -- #35599

That wikipedia article is a little obtuse. Let me bumper-stickerize the relationship between the fundamental and its perfect fifth and the perfect fourth for you. Assuming we start with a frequency of the note "A" at 110Hz (110 cycles per second). The first harmonic is 2X the original frequency. Doubling the frequency results in the same note an octave higher, ie "A" 220. The next harmonic is 3X the original. This results in "E" 330. IOW the fifth. The next is 4X the funadamental. IOW "A" 440. As you can clearly see, due to the fact that "E" is an even multiple of "A" (whatever "A" you care to choose - 110, 220, 440, 880, etc) these two notes are clearly consonant with each other ("consonant" means "sounds good together"). Now, note that the relationship between "E" 330 and "A" 440 is the interval of a fourth. Consequently, it is intuitively obvious to any casual observer (I love that line) that intervals of both a fourth and a fifth (either above or below a given fundamental note) are completely consonant with said fundamental. Examples: "A" 220 is consonant with "E" 330 (this interval is known as a perfect fifth). "E" 330 is also consonant with "A" 440 (this interval is known as a perfect fourth). The origins of the minor pentatonic and the major scale are simply extensions of these basic laws of physics.

sdm -- 06/28/2007, 12:31:10 -- #35599

That line is wonderfully condescending (but not you of course) :) <= hate these things - I should be able to write better!

Mike -- 07/05/2007, 03:52:12 -- #35599

I explain to my students that keys are a lot like women.  You have to try different ones to find the one that will give you the right feeling for a particular thing you are looking for.

Kai -- 07/05/2007, 06:11:51 -- #35599

7, I love it when you talk 'posh and legal-like'. re "Consequently, it is intuitively obvious to any casual observer (I love that line) that intervals of both a fourth and a fifth (either above or below a given fundamental note) are completely consonant with said fundamental"., and Mike re your comment immediately above, that statement is DEFINITELY true of music teachers. - you have to shop around and 'cherry-pick'. :-)  A fun-loving (nearby) Liverpudlian.

7 -- 07/05/2007, 23:37:08 -- #35599

thx

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