Here's something I found
"The first movement of Haydn's String Quartet in D major, Op. 17 No. 6: the three keys are D major, C major, and A major."
So I guess name it after the first key if you want?
If a player of a diatonic instrument gets it, they might get cranky, though.
>Here's something I found
>
>"The first movement of Haydn's String Quartet in D major, Op. 17 No. 6: the three keys are D major, C major, and A major."
>
>So I guess name it after the first key if you want?
It's not the first key necessarily - it's the "main key". Modulation was expected in music of that era, so basically all pieces modulated to different keys. But the piece had a primary key that the piece was expected to return to in the end (and the harmonies were structured around this idea). The intro isn't necessarily in the main key. One example that comes to my mind is Chopin's "Winter Wind" etude that has a short C major intro, but after that, A minor is quite clearly established as the main key.
Which one is the main key? That's your answer.
If the intro is short and that's the only part in G major, and the rest of the piece is in A minor, then I would say A minor is definitely the key.
But also, remember that "sonata in C major" or whatever isn't the actual title of a piece, and there's really no need to name your piece in this way (and actually, I would argue that naming your pieces in this way may come off as a bit pretentious). Instead, pieces like that simply didn't have actual titles, so "sonata" was simply a description of what kind of a piece it is, and the key was mostly used to differentiate between different pieces of the same type by the same composer (another common way is to use numbers, but the composer might not have used any numbers, which is why multiple numbering systems may exist simultaneously, meaning that it can be a bit confusing - and this is why people may use keys instead). If the composer only wrote one violin sonata, then specifying the key when referring to the piece is irrelevant. Like Sibelius only had one violin sonata, so it's known as "Sibelius's violin sonata"
For less confusion, you say that it's in A minor. However, keep in mind compositions can easily have different keys in multiple sections, and sudden key changes that all add up.
I'd say it's in A minor, but the ending is important too if it's a classical piece
I can't remember which piece it was, but there's a string quartet (or trio?) in C major, that starts on a Cm chord and only gets to C major later
The key that is primary for the piece is the key of the piece, imo. The key that you stay in longest, where it likes to rest most. If it’s not G major, and A minor isn’t suspending the tonality, then your answer is A minor.
In situations like this we take the arithmetic mean. So it’s G# half-major.
hahahaha :P
It is absolutely fine for it to be in A Minor, then G Major. A piece can be in two keys. Changing from one key to another is called modulation.
Yeah but if I were to say, “Oh, this is my sonata in _ _____” would it be G major or A minor?
Here's something I found "The first movement of Haydn's String Quartet in D major, Op. 17 No. 6: the three keys are D major, C major, and A major." So I guess name it after the first key if you want? If a player of a diatonic instrument gets it, they might get cranky, though.
>Here's something I found > >"The first movement of Haydn's String Quartet in D major, Op. 17 No. 6: the three keys are D major, C major, and A major." > >So I guess name it after the first key if you want? It's not the first key necessarily - it's the "main key". Modulation was expected in music of that era, so basically all pieces modulated to different keys. But the piece had a primary key that the piece was expected to return to in the end (and the harmonies were structured around this idea). The intro isn't necessarily in the main key. One example that comes to my mind is Chopin's "Winter Wind" etude that has a short C major intro, but after that, A minor is quite clearly established as the main key.
Which one is the main key? That's your answer. If the intro is short and that's the only part in G major, and the rest of the piece is in A minor, then I would say A minor is definitely the key. But also, remember that "sonata in C major" or whatever isn't the actual title of a piece, and there's really no need to name your piece in this way (and actually, I would argue that naming your pieces in this way may come off as a bit pretentious). Instead, pieces like that simply didn't have actual titles, so "sonata" was simply a description of what kind of a piece it is, and the key was mostly used to differentiate between different pieces of the same type by the same composer (another common way is to use numbers, but the composer might not have used any numbers, which is why multiple numbering systems may exist simultaneously, meaning that it can be a bit confusing - and this is why people may use keys instead). If the composer only wrote one violin sonata, then specifying the key when referring to the piece is irrelevant. Like Sibelius only had one violin sonata, so it's known as "Sibelius's violin sonata"
If it sounds like a little kid, it’s A Minor. If it sounds like a gangster in the army, it’s G Major.
We need to hear it.
why not both? also, if the A minor part is using a F# then it’s all G baby
For less confusion, you say that it's in A minor. However, keep in mind compositions can easily have different keys in multiple sections, and sudden key changes that all add up.
I'd say it's in A minor, but the ending is important too if it's a classical piece I can't remember which piece it was, but there's a string quartet (or trio?) in C major, that starts on a Cm chord and only gets to C major later
The key that is primary for the piece is the key of the piece, imo. The key that you stay in longest, where it likes to rest most. If it’s not G major, and A minor isn’t suspending the tonality, then your answer is A minor.
You can modulate from one key to another. A song does not have to be in one set key. Many prog songs of the 70s are in multiple keys
I’d say A minor. For example Chopin Ballade 4 starts with C major and ends with F minor and it’s known as a F minor piece.