Favorite Key/Chord

J

JaftheGiraffe

New member
Since we're on the theory section let's talk some basic theory! Reply with your favorite musical key, your favorite type of chord, or both!

For example, my favorite key is either Ab or Db Major, and my favorite type of chord is a minor seventh since I love the dissonance it brings, leads to great resolving progressions.

Let's hear yours!
 
every key: they are all the same in 12 tone equal temperament

as for chords I'll have a discombobulated 13th
 
quoting a friend who didn't think it was worth knowing how to name chords, given that they had little meaning inthe grand scheme of things
 
bandcoach said:
every key: they are all the same in 12 tone equal temperament
Click to expand...

That's true but i think a pretty one dimensional music theory way of looking at scales and chords. they all have different origins, engage different emotions and remind us of different places and cultures.

I've recently been experimenting with the D Arabian which is a really bizarre one to work with and i'm starting to like it. I can't say i have a favourite but i will say plain major and minor scales feel vanilla boring to me.
 
bandcoach said:
every key: they are all the same in 12 tone equal temperament

as for chords I'll have a discombobulated 13th
Click to expand...

Saying every key sounds the same in equal temperament is an inaccurate answer to my question to say the least...but I think this was kind of a troll answer anyway so I'll take it for what it is.
 
you do understand that all keys are equal in 12 tone equal temperament? that all notes are separated by the same basic ratio of the 12th root of 2???; therefore no key is different to any other except in as far as they higher or lower in terms of their starting frequency - i.e. the differences are superficial not deep and meaningful

strangely enough I treated your initial question as a troll
 
Ok smartass I know that equal temperament means that all notes are separated by the same ratio but for one my question didn't specify electronic music, which is the only way 12 tone temperament would even matter as any musician knows that it's virtually impossible to achieve that perfect ratio with live instruments. Second, the question was just a matter of opinion, some people prefer to compose in certain keys because they think it sounds better or for whatever reason. You didn't have to ruin the question by trying to seem like you know more than others
 
perhaps more aptly, you could have specified your parameters - most folks here at fp do not deal with real instruments

also drop the attitude; and read this thread https://www.futureproducers.com/for...ing-sound-design/emotions-musical-keys-436227 and then you will understand the responses given above - i.e. this is hashed to death often, so you should probably use the search feature to find older threads first and then see if we need yet another of these
 
All music scales are definitely NOT the same.

Each scale has it's own color and feel to it.

B Minor is my favorite scale. Its nice. And I like augmented or suspended chords..it's just "different". Like a sort of "distant" feel to it.


I feel a big difference when I go from playing in B minor then hitting a couple of keys in a major scale. Things get a lot "jazzier" when I just hit ONE key that's outside of the B minor scale lol. Usually a G# or a C

Hitting or Holding a A#/B-flat right before going back to home-key B feels "highly exotic" and "foreign".


You have to get comfortable with the scale you like and you will know the difference when you step outside of that scale.
 
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You guys are missing the point of what BC said, confusing "scales" and "key". Do you guys even understand what equal temperament is?
I prefer all chords, though these days, I like to use alterations for that added tension and color.
 
as pump has just said you have missed the point

this is the post I referred to above

There are no real emotional guidelines to musical keys in the 21st century.

This is especially true if you are using 12 tone equal temperament tuning; which if you are daw based only, you are.

Why do I say this?

Because in equal temperament tuning all intervals are mathematically equivalent: there is no deviation from the mathematical layout of notes in 12-tone equal temperament.

It is why some folks say you only need to learn the key of C major to understand (and be able to play in (by using MIDI transpose)) all keys.

If you were to ask about scales instead then there are some real differences which can be exploited.

bandcoach said:
The following is quoted from....
Click to expand...

Different scales and modes bring different note choices to the equation

Scale/modeStructureMood/Sonority
Major TTSTTTS | 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8Generally classified as happy but some of my most sad melodies are written in the major
Natural minorTSTTSTT | 1-2-[sup]b[/sup]3-4-5-[sup]b[/sup]6-[sup]b[/sup]7-8Generally classified as sad
Harmonic minor and its modesTSTTST[sup][sup]1[/sup]/[sub]2[/sub][/sup]S | 1-2-[sup]b[/sup]3-4-5-[sup]b[/sup]6-7-8can have a dark and middle eastern feel depending on which mode is used
Melodic minor and its modesTSTTTTS | 1-2-[sup]b[/sup]3-4-5-6-7-8tends to be more jazzy in feel
Dorian modeTTSTTTS | 1-2-[sup]b[/sup]3-4-5-6-[sup]b[/sup]7-8minor with an upbeat nature
Phrygian modeTTSTTTS | 1-[sup]b[/sup]2-[sup]b[/sup]3-4-5-[sup]b[/sup]6-[sup]b[/sup]7-8minor with a darker character, almost Spanish in some respects
Lydian modeTTSTTTS | 1-2-3-[sup]#[/sup]4-5-6-7-8major with twist
Mixolydian modeTTSTTTS | 1-2-3-4-5-6-[sup]b[/sup]7-8major with a lighter character.
Synthetic scalesAny structure you wanteach has its own identity

bandcoach said:
the following is quoted from.... in which a chromatic theme is introduced to explore the concept of sound design from an orchestral perspective. The post then moves on to explore changing the nature of the melody by changing the scale used
Click to expand...

Now to consider the manipulation of this theme into other parallel tonalities
By changing the accidentals (#/b) in the melody we can shift the mood of the melody dramatically:

[mp3]http://www.bandcoach.org/fp/audio/melSonoritiesTonalVars.mp3[/mp3]

melSonoritiesTonalVars.png


Explore each of the tonal/modal areas and compare it to the original theme - note what has changed and what has stayed the same. Lastly, note aurally how the theme has changed character simply by changing one or more notes to fit a new scale/mode.

Scale/ModeTones
MajorE-F[sup]#[/sup]-G[sup]#[/sup]-A-B-C[sup]#[/sup]-D[sup]#[/sup]-E
Nat minorE-F[sup]#[/sup]-G-A-B-C-D-E
PhrygianE-F-G-A-B-C-D-E
DorianE-F[sup]#[/sup]-G-A-B-C[sup]#[/sup]-D-E
LydianE-F[sup]#[/sup]-G[sup]#[/sup]-A[sup]#[/sup]-B-C[sup]#[/sup]-D[sup]#[/sup]-E
MixolydianE-F[sup]#[/sup]-G[sup]#[/sup]-A-B-C[sup]#[/sup]-D-E
Minor PentatonicE-G-A-B-D-E
Major pentatonicE-F[sup]#[/sup]-G[sup]#[/sup]-B-C[sup]#[/sup]-E
BluesE-G-A-A[sup]#[/sup]/B[sup]b[/sup]-B-D-E


Just intonation and the mood/sense of key
There are some solid references of the meaning and nature of keys within the era before equal temperament tuning took hold.

Of those out there the following two are perhaps the most telling:

Beethoven's thoughts on key and mood
keys | San Francisco Symphony Keeping Score

Scriabin's thoughts on colours to be associated with individual pitches
Alexander Scriabin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Scriabin
Scriabin colour organ performance review

It is also important to consider whether the links between colour (the light spectrum) and sound (the audio spectrum) are valid. Some critics and historians point to Scriabin's synaesthesia (one sense perceiving in terms of another sense - i.e. hearing music as colours) as the possible source of his pre-occupation with colour and sound equivalencies....

Beethoven's preoccupation was more of an attempt to link keys with scenery as an aid to writing appropriate material
 
This thread is hilarious. I wish i had read the question a little better and named a key instead of a scale. There's one thing you forgot to consider bandcoach, that is different pitches might have a different visceral response to each person. A child's scream is very different from a grown mans scream, although the screams could be exactly an octave apart. You could make arguments about the timbre but you see the point i'm trying to make.
 
Even IF your point stands that I should've asked for a "favorite scale" instead of a "favorite key", which is very trivial in itself, don't you think you could've just pointed that out? Either way I think your reply is ridiculous. But hey, I'm sleep right?

And plus, if I asked for your favorite major scale in an attempt to ask for a favorite key, wouldn't the point about equal temperament apply to the WWHWWH pattern no matter what note you started on? Equal temperament or not, key plays a very important role, even in electronic music where you have to work with vocals...why do you think they make capos for guitars? Easily accessible key changes.

But like I said, I know nothing
 
JaftheGiraffe said:
And plus, if I asked for your favorite major scale in an attempt to ask for a favorite key, wouldn't the point about equal temperament apply to the WWHWWH pattern no matter what note you started on?
Click to expand...

That's the exact reason why Bandcoach is saying your question is worded wrong. If you play a song in it's original scale (Ex. CMaj), then play it again in a different key (Ex. GMaj), it will sound exactly the same because all your doing is hitting the transpose button up 7x. Don't believe me, try playing a simple song like the Birthday song in different keys and you'll see that it's a fact and not just an opinion. However, if you played it in different scales/modes (Ex. CMaj then in Cmin) then it will sound different.

But to answer your original question about my favorite scale, I would say the Chinese scale. Why? Because it's awesome.
 
Again that's only true in an electronic sense, and even then that's iffy. In a world where timbre and tone of instruments are exactly the same across every single note, then yes your point would stand. But there are many cases where simply transposing the key of a song will benefit or detriment the quality of sound produced. Again, this is especially true for vocals, which is why things like capos for guitars exist. Many people have a limited voice range, so simply changing the key of their favorite song might have them avoid having to hit a Tiny Tim falsetto or a deep baritone note.

Slightly off topic but proving my point, if a little girl asked you what's your favorite color, would you go on about how all colors are technically the same in the light spectrum (assume this is true) or would you give your opinion and say perhaps blue?

In the end, the question was so simple and did not call for people trying to tell me that all keys are the same just because changing the key in their DAW doesn't make much of a difference to them. The truth is many musicians have favorite keys, whether it be because that certain key is easier on their instrument or for any other reason. Also, the question wasn't a purely technical question, asking someone for their favorite anything implies a high degree of semantic value
 
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