What does it mean to write a song in a certain key?

Most music is in a particular key. If we say that a song is “in the key of C,” this means that the pitch C sounds like the most stable “home note” (or tonic) for the song. Likewise, most songs use notes within a particular scale — a collection of notes in order from low to high.

What does it mean when an instrument is in a certain key?

An instrument is “in a key”, an unrelated usage that means the pitches considered “natural” for that instrument. For example, modern trumpets are usually in the key of B♭, since the notes produced without using the valves correspond to the harmonic series whose fundamental pitch is B♭.

Why do some instruments transpose?

Music is often written in transposed form for these groups of instruments so that the fingerings correspond to the same written notes for any instrument in the family, even though the sounding pitches will differ.

Why are horns in flat keys?

G, E and A which are probably the most common rock keys. Similarly, the reason jazz is mostly written with flats is because jazz often uses horns and it’s easier to play a horn in flat keys because they are transposing instruments (pitched in Bb and Eb). Not at all a friendly key for most horn players.

What is the key of a song in music?

The main pitches used in a song are usually all from one particular scale, and this is where we name the song’s key from. For example, if a song only uses notes from the C Major scale, it is likely that the song is “in the key of C Major”.

Do sharps and flats matter when writing music in a key?

You are not necessarily limited to the sharps and flats in a given key just because you are writing in that key, but you will generally stick to them, which means you are writing music in that key. Writing in C Major does mean there are no sharps and flats, but it is possible to have sharps and flats in the music by means of accidentals.

Why do some musical instruments only play in certain keys?

Certain musical instruments are happier in certain keys. More importantly, a few hundred years ago, some instruments could ONLY play in certain keys. A trumpet in Bach and Vivaldi’s day, for example, could only play in certain keys unless you did some plumbing, choosing different tubes to affect the pitch.

What is the difference between a chord and a key?

Each voice in the chord orbits around the central chord tone (chord root), while each chord system has an orbital relationship to the larger key center (tonic). A key is the tonality that is central to a piece of music. What that means is that a key is based on a tone and a structure built around that tone.