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Posted by 02
on 11/22/2007, 2:57 pm, in reply to "Music Theory for a Senior in High School...help me prepare for Freshman year....HELP!"
71.195.183.87
You can look at the tutorial sections on this site that deal with scale and key to get a concise explanation.
A couple of tricks for determining mode (major or minor) by the key signature:
1. If you know three flats is Eb major, then you're halfway there. However, be aware that the relative minor (same key signature) of Eb major is C minor, not A minor. If you need to know whether it's the major or minor, look for accidentals. The minor key will have either a natural or a sharp on the seventh note of the scale. In the case of three flats, you will find a B natural, the leading tone to C, and you will be in C minor. If you don't find the B natural in the first few measures, then most likely you'll be in the major key.
In F sharp minor (3 sharps), you'll find an E sharp, the leading tone to F#. If you don't find that, you're in A major.
Check the scale page on this site for a brief explanation of the three types of minor scales and the differences between them.
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