MUSIC THEORY

KEYS AND SCALES

NOTATION
 1.

 2.

 3.

 Treble clef
 The notes on the stave
  Sharps are on the lines or spaces

KEY SIGNATURES of the notes being sharpened

 Flats are on the lines or spaces

of the notes flattened

 Accidentals only apply to the

note line they are placed on for
that bar

 Naturals take them back to

normal (not sharp or flat)

 Enharmonic notes sound the

same but are written differently
– Bb/A#

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uP-rWuQ10s
KEY CHANGES
SCALES

 Major scales always have a whole tone between

the 3 notes
 Minor scales have a flattened third note
GETTING KEYS FROM KEY SIGNATURES
Final cadences – if
you’re not sure of the key
Keys are how we talk
Find the key by removing look at the last note.
about the scale and feel
one flat Does it end on a D? That
of the piece
is likely the tonic (or first
note) of the scale

If it has accidentals or
Find the key by counting ends on a different note it
Minor keys / Major keys up one step from the last might be in the relative
sharp minor
CIRCLE OF
FIFTHS

 Every key and their relative

minor
 Each key is a fifth away from
the next along
MINOR AND MAJOR CHORDS
CHORDS
Chord Progressions
The order of chords in a song. They follow conventions for which chords and in
what order in different types of music
 4 Chord Song
 I V vi IV
 C G Am F

Cadences
 Cadences are 2 or more chords that end a phrase or section of music
 Perfect Cadence: V – I, Plagal Cadence: IV – I
 Unfinished Cadences: Imperfect I – V
So if we know the Key Signature

We can work out the Key

And the Relative Minor

This means we can tell the Chords from the notes

And use that to look at Cadences

JAMBOARD TASK:
- IS IT IN A MAJOR OR
MINOR KEY?
- DOES THAT CHANGE?
- WHAT IS THE KEY
SIGNATURE?
- WHAT IS THE TIME
SIGNATURE?
- WHAT CADENCES ARE
USED AND WHERE?

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