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The meaning of key signatures and how to write the chord symbols

The meaning of key signatures and how to write the chord symbols
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This time, let’s use the skills we’ve cultivated so far—such as secondary dominants—to add chord symbols.

It might be hard to follow if you jump in suddenly, so I recommend reviewing the previous articles before continuing.

TranslationWhat is the secondary dominant, a key modulation technique in chord progressions?

Key signature

I’d love to jump right in, but just for a moment…sheet musicI will talk about ...

Until nowC majorI often used it to explain.

Because I thought it would be easier to understand since it doesn’t have either flats (♭) or sharps (#).

The more flats and sharps there are in sheet music, the harder it is to read.It is (the kind of thing that) … / It’s something that …

Reference:The basics of how to read sheet music, made easy to understand

For example, in E major there are as many as four notes with sharps (F, C, G, and D).

It's a hassle to write this in the sheet music every time, isn't it?

thereforeWhat expresses “Always play these notes with flats or sharps here” is what’s called the key signature.It is.

Pianos andwind ensemble musicThose who have experienced it may have seen this, but here it is.

Key signature

By the way, the key signature above means “always play F with a sharp.”

That is, this is used for pieces in G major or E minor, which have an F with a sharp (#).

Each key signature is as follows.

Key signature sharp (#)

Key signature (flat)

Coding

Now, let’s get to the main topic.

This time, in a song in G majorcodeLet's give it a try on credit.

Here is the song.

sheet music

If it’s a piece in G major, then GMajor diatonic chordI will use it.

G major diatonic chords

And here is the code I wrote.

G major chord progression example

I will explain it by breaking it down into several points.

First, it's G → D → Em.

Here, by using a deceptive cadence, the flow G→D→G is changed to G→D→EmI’m making it so that … / I have it set to …

A deceptive cadence is V → VI.

Next is B7 → C.

B7 is GMajor diatonic chordThis is code that does not exist.

That meansSecondary dominantIt’s possible.

However, the provisional “I” code is Cmajor chordIt is (set to) ...

That is, if the C major chord is the provisional “I,” then the secondary dominant should be G7, right?

In fact, I'm applying a deceptive cadence here as well.

If B7 is a secondary dominant, then the temporary 'I' chord should be Em.

E hereMinor diatonic chordLet's take a look.

E minor diatonic chords

The VI code is C (M7), right? Which means,Secondary dominantIt means that, while using it, it employs a suspended (pseudo-final) ending.

This might be a bit difficult because I gave it a bit of a twist.

The next C→G issubdominantIt is the conclusive form (irregular conjugation).

and thenAm7→D7→G is,Two-FiveIt is in progress.

By the way, it’s not written in the score, but this progression as wellOn-codeby usingCanon progressionIt is (set to) ...

As in G→DonF#→Em→B7onD#, the bass descends by one note at a time.

Lastly

As I mentioned before, please treat the code I provided as just one example.

There’s no single correct answer, so I hope you’ll create various patterns and use them to help with your songwriting.

The deceptive cadence from the secondary dominant that came up this time isn’t a progression you’ll encounter frequently, but it’s enough to just keep it in the back of your mind.