| Published: December 8, 2020 |
Three Seconds of Theory
What is the difference between a key and a chord?
A CHORD IN 3 SECONDS:
Three notes, stacked in thirds. F major is F, A, and C.
A KEY IN 3 SECONDS:
Seven notes (a.k.a. a scale) around which a piece of music revolves.
Alright, so that was two bite-sized bits of theory in six seconds! And you also need to know that a “key” tells you which note and which chord will feel like “home base.” In the key F major, both the note “F” and chord “F major” will give you a feeling of resolution when you hear them.
WE ARE YOUNG:
The song “We are Young” from 2012 by Fun, is in the key of F major. The main chords you hear in the song are F, Dm, Bb, F/C and C, which are made from different combinations of the seven notes in the F major scale. Take a second to go listen to the song, an be aware, that in this particular song, every single note you hear is one of those seven from the
What you are hearing when you listen to that chorus, is that the F major chord starts us off on the lyric “Toni-i-i-i-i-ight.” Do you notice how it sounds stable, like being at home? Not only is the F major chord being played by the instruments, but the melody on the word “Tonight” uses the three notes of the F major chord! “Tonight” starts on F, then goes down to a C then hops between A – C -A.
That feeling of returning “home” goes away as the other chords take us on a journey through the chorus. The end of the chorus doesn’t give us the resolution of the F major chord and doesn’t feel like we have arrived. Do you hear how it feels like it’s leading somewhere? The feeling of resolution comes as the next verse begins and we return to the F major chord.
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Kathy Alexander is VP of Curriculum for Singdaptive. She was a staff writer for 6 years at VoiceCouncil Magazine and works for the University of Victoria as a practicum supervisor. Kathy is also a singer, vocal coach and choir director. Career highlights include guest appearances in Europe with Quannah Parker jazz fusion band in Norway, and back on the West Coast with Vision TV’s Let’s Sing Again, The Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra and the Victoria International Jazz Festival.
