key signatures

[Colette]

what is the best way to teach a young child how to find what key a piece of music is in on their own?

[allchopin]

Simply memorizing the different key signatures and matching them to their appropriate names is the best way, and is more helpful in the long run than any "formulas."  Perhaps assigning peg words to each signature (for easier memorization) would be more efficient.  But in memorization, you should explain why each signature has how many flats/sharps that it does.

[bernhard]

As a first step, look at the last note of the piece.

However this will only work for orthodox tonal music. So in the beginning, make sure that all the pieces you present for the child to identify the key do indeed finish on the tonic.

Later on you can expand on his/her knowledge by adding key signatures (as allchopin has suggested). You will then have to explain about major and relative minor scales having the same key signature and therefore you must still refert o the last note to decide if the piece in in a major or minor key.

As the child's experience with scales increases you can introduce ear training, and start pointing out that even nursery rhymes rarely stick to one key. So you can identify all the keys in a piece.

Finally you can introduce music that breaks these simple rules.

Beware of a lot of modern pieces for children that have ambiguous tonalities. I am not suggesting that you do not assign them for playing, but I would not use them for teaching tonalities - at least not in the beginning.

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[Greg_Fodrea]

There are some visual and mnemonic tricks to learning the key signatures.  The sharps are the easiest to start with, and, once memorized, can be used to determine the flat signatures as the number of sharps in a key will add up to seven when added to the number of flats in the corresponding flat key.  Confused yet?  An example:

Key of D = 2 #s
Key of Db (the corresponding flat key) = 5 bs
2 #s plus 5 bs = 7

The same rules apply to relative minors.  I won't tip my hand on the trick I use for quickly memorizing the sharp key signatures, but I'm willing to share on an individual basis via e-mail.  gfodrea@msn.com

[Efarstan]

why not kill 2 birds with one stone?:

starting at the very bottom of the keyboard...

F....now...go up a 5th to C...continue on..

thats the order of sharps ...
flats is reversed ( start at top of keyboard and work downward..starting with B...go to E...to A...etc )

each sharp resolves upward 1/2 step to form the bottom of the major chord..
2#'s...c#....c# resolves upward 1/2 step to form D Major chord.
the minor chord of that key is 1/3 downward..b min

so the active tones in that key...( no such thing as the KEY of D..its the KEY OF 2#'s..)

are..c# and g ( g resolves downward to f# ..to form the top of the minor chord..b min)

[Chitch]

Hmmm
I teach it like this to find out which major or minor key you're in. Look at the sharp closest to the right in the treble clef and move one note up, that'll give you your major key. If you move one note down, that'll give you your minor key (ofcourse there's the exception of C major and A minor). For flats, look at the flat to the far right of the treble clef and then look at the flat that's directly beside it, that's the major key. Then for minors, look at the flat key to the far right of the treble clef and go down a 3rd, that's your minor key.

[Chitch]

I"m not sure if that was exactly what you were asking for, but it's a good way to avoid memorization.

[Efarstan]

but..but...

IN the piece itself will be modulations of key, and simply knowing where you start - doesnt help in the analysis of a piece later on..

am I making sense?