Music Theory Study 2, Exercise 3.1 and 6.1
Hello David,
In Excercise 3.1 for F# harp, my mode is C#, D#, F, F#,G# but in the solutions is C#, D#, E#, F#, G#. Is E# possible?
In Exercise 6.1, the song description says that it is in Eb Alto, but when I look in the solutions, the notes for the degrees that you list are for the key of F. Could you please clarify how does Eb relates to the F scale because to me, the first notes are 6th degree but in the solutions, it is 5th degree... that is how I assumed it is key of F. Thank you.
Best regards,
Anton
Thank you David!
How do we determine the key of the melody? Is it because of the Bb that is in the second line and the rest of the notes being "normal"?
Best regards,
Anton
Yes Anton, the Bb in the key signature is your first clue. The Bb gives us a clue of F, since the key of F Major has one flat, Bb. Next, we check where the melody ends. If it ends on F, then we're confirmed that it is in F. In this case, it does end in F, so it is the key of F.
David,
Thank you very much. It is clear to me now.
Best wishes,
Anton
My pleasure
Hello Anton.
Yes, E# is correct. It's not okay to use the same note name twice (it brings confusion). Even though we know E# and F are the same note, from a music theory standpoint, we have to call it E#, otherwise our analysis changes when looking at chords in a given key. It's anal, I know, but it's the way it's done.
The Eb Alto Sax is the name of the instrument. It can play in any key it wishes. In this case, the Key of F is what the song is in. "Eb" can be ignored.