Advanced Challenge II : Distinguish Major/minor by the Last Note

A piano player requires to know how many flats and sharps that he/she needs to play according to the tonality

A piano player also requires to distinguish tonality (Major/minor) in a minute.





Major and Minor can be distinguished by not only melody, atmosphere but also the last note on every music sheet.

You must be wondering why I can distinguish a song's tonality (Major/minor) just by the last note.

Ah-ha! There's a tip to know while you're playing a song.

If you're given a song like this....

(This song gives you "D Major")

Why do I know that?

The last note can help you know that the tone of the whole song.

Last time, I just gave you some concept to distinguish the tone of a song when you came across the flats(b) and sharps(#) in the very front of a music sheet.

So, we're gonna distinguish tonality not only with many flats/sharps but also the last note!!!

Last time (In Advance Challenge I  ), the examples show you the normal and standard distinguishing rule.

But, you never know that the composer may end up a song without your desirable last note.


Why would I say this?

Often times, we shall find the same note as the tonality's note.

This means... you should find "C" as the last note when the song gives you a C Major.

In other words, you are supposed to find  "Do(C)" to be "Tonic Sound" for the whole song in C Major.

Tonic Sound (Central Sound) : 
the central sound that can be reference to your current tonality.


and the meanings is almost the same as the last note's concept.


You should find C as the last note when the song gives you a C major.


This also means that the last note can be Tonic Sound(or Central Sound) in the song.


With this concept, you can also infer that the other tonalities have the same idea.

Guess what?.... You're right!!

The other tonalities also follow this concept as C Major does.

So, you can infer by yourself. And, you don't have to worry about those difficult concept that I mentioned last time.

I just sort out a number of pictures to help you understand how to find Tonic Sound (Central Sound) which is corresponding to the last note.

  

 (Reference from http://content.edu.tw/junior/music/ks_wg/content/curriclum/class/text3/m305-b.htm )

 (Reference from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonic_(music))

I know that you may think that all of the above are so complicated to you.

Don't be afraid ! I'm going to explain the rule.

As you can see, the first picture tells you that C Major should has a "Do(C)" sound as the Tonic Sound.

See this again...

You must wonder why I choose "Do(C)" sound rather than "La(A) underneath C" as the Tonic Sound.

Because, now we know that we choose [C Major],   the tonic sound must be "C".

Well, exceptions always exist.

You might wonder why I put a "La(A) underneath C" in the picture.

Well, that's the point I want to show you.

Composers may not always end up a song with C when you think the song is C Major.

That's very strange because C Major requires "C(Do)" as the Tonic Sound.

So, you have to be aware.

The song might not give you Major!!!!

The song may give you a "minor"!!!!

This doubt is necessary. You can find out the reasons by the doubt first.

That will lead you to find C's relative minor, which is "a minor" in the picture.


(Footnote: Relative minor:  there's always a minor clinging to a Major, so they are relative.)

How do I know that C Major should has "a minor" as his relative?

Do I memorize the pictures?

Huh.. Nope!

There's a rule to help you distinguish.


●Distinguishing Rule:

Like the pictures shown just now...

We Have known that "C(Do)" is the main Tonic Sound(Central Sound)

for C Major.  But, the world is always tricky.  This time the song

contrarily tells you that this song is a "minor" tone... How should we do?

The rule is very simple.

Just count the last note.

As the picture says, there's also a relative minor clinging to C Major.

That is "a minor" in green color in the picture above.  Do you see that?

But, how this rule pop out?  That pops out from stones?

Huh... Nope again!!

The rule is that..

You find the last note in "Major" tone first!


Then, you should go down three half sounds by "the last note which is in Major tone".


For example,

 &  

First, you find C(Do) in  "C Major" in the last note.

Then, you should go down three half sounds.

Like this... C(Do) > B(Si) > bB(Si Flat)  > A(La)

Obviously, La turns out to be the minor's last note.

Very simple, right?

Just take this "a(La)" to be your minor's Tonic!!

So, we'll get "a minor" as C Major's relative minor.

After this explanation, I guess you all know how relative minor comes from.


With this concept, you're ready to find out whether the song is in Major or minor just by the last note.

You simply can just count one half sound by one half sound when you
don't memorize the 8 pictures I've shown on the very middle of this entry.


After this explanation, I hope you guy will understand how songs give the audience Major/minor.

By the last note!!!!!



OK! C U Then. :)