Mel Bay Study Group The Mel Bay Method For Guitar According To "The Principles" CHECKPOINT 11,
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Vital Understandings on the Subject of Keys
Okay, we have a new key, the key that "comes after" the key of C, namely, the key of G. Yes, keys come in a certain order, and each one is "close to" other keys, its neighbors. This means that the two keys close to each other have almost all the same notes, and so , almost all the same chords. (more explanation below). There are going to be lots of "keys" coming at you as you go on learning music, and one of your jobs is to make sense of them, and remember them. To do that, you need to understand certain relationships that exist among the various keys, and I will explain those relationships. But first, what does it mean to "remember" the "key signature". First, it means remembering the sharps or flats grouped together at the beginning of the piece or song, and found at the beginning of each subsequent line. We did not have any in the key of C. It is the only key with no sharps or flats (along with its relative minor, A minor). There is an order that keys follow, as we go from the key of C with no sharps or flats, to the key with one sharp, then two sharps, three, and so forth. The order is this: keys progress by "fifths". This means if we start at C with no sharps, the key that has one sharp will be 5 LETTERS AWAY FROM C, or, we could say, the key that follows C will start on the 5th note of the C scale, or the note G. C D E F G Knowing this, we can predict that the next key after G will start on D, which is the 5th note of the G scale. The key of D will have two sharps. The next key after that will be 5 letters after D, or the key of A, which will have 3 sharps. Another thing to know is that as these keys progress, the sharps are cumulative, in other words, D, with two sharps, will have the same sharp that G had (F#), as well as a new one. The key of A, with 3 sharps, will have the two from D, and one new one. Knowing this fact, and keeping it in mind as you learn each new key, will give you a framework in which to place each new key as you learn it. As the Mel Bay series progresses, you will learn keys in this order, the "order of 5ths". This larger perspective will help you keep this knowledge in your brain in an orderly arrangement, and enables you to see that even though there are many keys and key signatures, there is a logic to it that makes it more accessible, and keeps it from becoming a disorderly mess in you head. Another relationship to know and bear in mind as you learn the keys is this: the new sharp (#) that appears for each new key WILL ALWAYS BE THE SEVENTH NOTE OF THE SCALE. So, we see the first sharp in the key of G appearing on the seventh note, F#. The next key, D major, has its new sharp on the seventh note, C, so that is why the key of D has two sharps, the "old one" F#, and the new one on the seventh note, C#. So, to sum up the two fundamental relationships you should absorb about keys:
Before we leave the subject, let us look at one more interesting and helpful relationship that exists between keys: the last 4 notes of one key are the first notes of the next. So, the last 4 notes of C are the first 4 notes of G. The last 4 notes of G are the first 4 notes of D, etc.
Review these understandings many times, over and over, until they begin to penetrate. Keep them in mind from now on as you continue to learn new keys in the Mel Bay Course. This will act as a pre-existing framework into which new knowledge will be fitted, helping you learn and retain your growing knowledge of keys. On the technical side of things, you should practice that G scale as written, BUT DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE DIFFICULTY. It IS a difficult scale to do correctly, really correctly. It is quite easy, however, to learn it badly, which is what most people do. Here are the things to do, and not do: DON'T allow your inactive fingers to tense and curl around the 3rd finger as it depresses the string for the first note. Your training from the Foundation Exercises, if properly done, will serve you here to prevent "finger squeeze". DO keep the other fingers spread over their respective frets at each step of the way in playing this scale. DO watch the 4th finger from the beginning, keeping it relaxed and in position over the 4th fret, waiting for its first job on the 7th note. DON'T let it tense in sympathy to other fingers being used. DO pay attention to the degrees of heavy/floating arm you are using as you play. You could experiment with using a floating arm throughout, using only the muscles of the hand/forearm to apply force to the string, or you could use some heavy arm where appropriate, for example between the 3rd and 4th notes, where two consecutive notes are fingered, shifting arm weight from the 2nd to 3rd finger. The sensations will change as the tempo increases. As always.............. USE THE BASIC PRACTICE APPROACH!
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