All Topics  
Parallel key

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Parallel key
 
 
  Topics Parallel key Topic Home

In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, the parallel minor or tonic minor of a particular major key
Key (music)

In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a certain key, such as in the key of C or in the key of F-sharp....
 is the minor key with the same tonic
Tonic (music)

The tonic is the first note of a scale in the tonality method of musical composition. The chord #The Triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord ....
; similarly the parallel major has the same tonic as the minor key. For example, G major and G minor have different modes but both have the same tonic, G; so we say that G minor is the parallel minor of G major.

In the early nineteenth century, composers began to experiment with freely borrowing chords from the parallel key.

To the Western ear, the switch from a major key to its parallel minor sounds like a fairly simplistic "saddening" of the mood (while the opposite sounds like a "brightening").






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Parallel key'
Start a new discussion about 'Parallel key'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


In music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
, the parallel minor or tonic minor of a particular major key
Key (music)

In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a certain key, such as in the key of C or in the key of F-sharp....
 is the minor key with the same tonic
Tonic (music)

The tonic is the first note of a scale in the tonality method of musical composition. The chord #The Triad formed on the tonic note, the tonic chord, is thus the most significant chord ....
; similarly the parallel major has the same tonic as the minor key. For example, G major and G minor have different modes but both have the same tonic, G; so we say that G minor is the parallel minor of G major.

In the early nineteenth century, composers began to experiment with freely borrowing chords from the parallel key.

To the Western ear, the switch from a major key to its parallel minor sounds like a fairly simplistic "saddening" of the mood (while the opposite sounds like a "brightening"). This change is quite distinct from a switch to the relative minor.

Calculating the key signature of the parallel major or minor key


Flats always appear in the order B-E-A-D-G-C-F. Sharps always appear in the opposite order F-C-G-D-A-E-B.

For example, if there are 3 flats in the key signature, those flats would be B, E, and A. If there are 2 sharps in the key signature, they would be F and C.

  • To find the parallel minor of a key, add 3 flats to the key signature.


For example, the key of F major has 1 flat (B). Adding 3 flats would yield 4 flats, meaning F minor consists of B, E, A, and D.


B major has 5 sharps (F, C, G, D, A). To find B minor's key signature, add 3 flats. Since flats cancel out sharps, one is left with only 2 sharps (F and C).


  • To find the parallel major, add 3 sharps.


E minor to E major: E minor has 1 sharp (F). Add 3 to get 4 sharps (F, C, G, D).


F minor to F major: F minor has 4 flats (B, E, A, D). Add 3 sharps to get F major's key signature. Since sharps cancel out flats, one is left with only 1 flat (B).


See also

  • Relative key
    Relative key

    In music, the relative minor of a particular major key is the key which has the same key signature but a different Tonic , as opposed to Parallel key which shares the same tonic....
  • Harmonic parallelism
    Harmonic parallelism

    In music harmonic parallelism, also known as harmonic planing or parallel voice leading, is the parallel movement of two or more lines or chord ....
  • Major/minor (tonal structure)