We often hear musical terms such as "mode" and "tonality", such as Piano Concerto in A major, Symphony in G minor, etc., but the concept of "key" is the least easy to understand. Understanding, compared to rhythm and melody, seems to be the furthest away from our auditory experience. But in music, this element is everywhere, so we still need to understand it and perceive it as much as possible with the help of theory.
1. Mode
Mode is a group of musical tones used as pitch materials in music creation. In theory, this group of tones is arranged in the form of a scale. The different arrangements and relationships between the tones constitute different modes.
Example 1: Major scale
Example 2: Minor scale
Whether it is a major key or a minor key, the first note is the most authoritative , the one with the most stable status is called the tonic or central tone. Less important than it are the "dominant sounds" which are five degrees upward from the tonic, and the "subordinate" sounds which are four degrees upward from the tonic (called subordinate because if you count downward from the tonic, it is located below fifth degree up). The dominant and subordinate tones are like the two ministers of the tonic, playing a supporting role in supporting the tonic, while the remaining tones are in a more secondary position. If we look more carefully, in this small kingdom composed of 7 tones, each note has a unique value and role, or has its own characteristics, but they must be subordinate to the overall interests. This is the world of major keys. order.
In addition to the different tonics, it should also be noted that the specific structures of the major and minor scales are different. This is mainly reflected in the layout of semitones and whole tones.
Semitones and whole tones are different "intervals" - the so-called interval refers to the distance between two tones. The interval between Do and Re is a whole tone, which contains two semitones, while the distance between Me and Fa is only one semitone, which is the smallest unit on keyboard instruments (it can be subdivided to even smaller units on string instruments). It is also the smallest unit in our usual musical concept. From the above two examples, we can see that in different scales, the positions of semitones and whole steps are different. In other words, the internal structures of major keys and minor keys are different. Please refer to music theory knowledge about these, I won’t go into details here.
How can we hear whether it is a major or minor key? The simplest way is to listen to the end of a piece of music or a song. Melodically speaking, the main note is often the one that ends the whole song because it is the most stable. This sense of stability can create an obvious ending, just like when we write an article. The period used is equally certain (there are occasional exceptions. The composer deliberately stops the music on other notes that are not the main tone, resulting in the effect of unfinished meaning and lingering sounds). In addition, generally speaking, the major key is clearer. This is because the main chord formed on the tonic of the major key is a major triad (do, mi, sol). In comparison, the main chord of the minor key is a minor triad (la, do). , mi), its color is slightly darker.
For music appreciators, the most important thing is to understand how the composer uses the musical element of mode to express his thoughts or emotions. Let's take the Austrian composer Schubert's song "The Linden Tree" as an example, which is selected from the vocal suite "Winter Journey". In this song, a person who has been abandoned by his lover and wanders alone in a foreign land reflects the complicated emotions when he recalls the dense linden tree in front of his hometown and the happiness he once had. The first line of the lyrics is: "There is a Bodhi tree in front of the door, growing beside the ancient well. I have had countless beautiful dreams among its greenery. I have also carved sweet verses on the trunk. Regardless of happiness or pain, it always stays in the tree. "This is the wanderer's memory of the warm past.
Schubert wrote this section in the key of E major. The overall sound is warmer and the tone is bright:
Example 3: Schubert's art song "The Linden Tree" (1)
Example 1: Schubert's art song "The Bodhi Tree" (1)
If this melody is sung using the first-key solfa method, or translated into simplified notation, it would look like this:
This is the theme melody in the key of E major. Next, the lyrics moved from warm memories to miserable reality. The wanderer sang: "Today is like every other day. I wandered until late at night. I walked in the dark and closed my eyes." The artistic conception of these words is It was dark and desolate, so the composer changed the music accordingly. The melody outline just now was basically retained, but the mode was changed from E major to E minor.
Example 4: Schubert’s art song “The Linden Tree” (2)
Example 2: Schubert’s art song “The Linden Tree” (2)
Singing in the first tune is like this:
The use of modes here is very exciting, and its contrast between light and dark, warm and desolate sounds is very appropriate for the change of artistic conception of the lyrics. In the second half of this section, the artistic conception of the lyrics became warmer again: "I seem to hear the leaves calling me softly: Companion, come back to me and find peace!" So the composer let the two phrases here start from e The minor key returns to E major:
Example 5: Schubert's art song "The Linden Tree" (3)
Example 3: Schubert's art song "The Linden Tree" (3)
Major keys and minor keys have different meanings in artistic expression. Composers often choose major keys to write bright and majestic music to express joy, heroism, military demeanor, etc.; composers often use minor keys to write tragic or melancholy music to express pain and sorrow, affection between children, lingering love, etc. Let's take another example. This is Beethoven's Third Symphony "Eroica". Please listen to the beginning of the first movement:
Example 4: The first movement of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony :
This is the beginning of the first movement in the key of bE major. It seems very firm and masculine. The second movement is a funeral march, depicting the heroic sacrifice of the heroes fighting for freedom and the tragic scene of the people holding funerals for them. The theme is in C minor, which looks heavy and dim:
Example 5: The second movement of Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony:
Through the above two examples, we can understand the role of mode in music role in performance. However, each element of music is not isolated, they must be combined with other factors. It can be imagined that if the minor mode is combined with strong dynamics, sharp-cut melody and bold and powerful rhythm, coupled with brilliant orchestration, the effect it obtains may not be dim. Similarly, the major mode may also be due to Other elements become softer or even darker.
Above we have introduced major and minor, the two most common modes in creation. In fact, there are many types of music in the world, and the modes are very rich. For example, our Chinese mode is composed of five tones. Species: Palace, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, Yu. The Gong mode scale starts with "1" and is 1, 2, 3, 5, 6. The Shang mode scale starts with "2" and is 2, 3, 5, 6, 1, etc. Japan, India, and Arab countries also have their own unique musical scales. Each of them is a huge practical and theoretical system, which is quite complex.
2. Key
Key refers to the precise pitch position of a certain mode.
We often see rising and falling marks written in front of the beat at the beginning of the staff, such as:
Example 6: Clef
These marks are Indicates the exact pitch of the music, which is the "tonality" of the music. To be precise, it indicates the location of the tonic of each mode.
For example, in the key of A major, the "major" here refers to its scale structure, and "A" means that the main note is at the pitch position of A, and the second note behind it is at On B, the third note is on #C, and so on.
Assuming they are both major keys, A major and bB major, their scale structures are the same. If you sing the same song from A major to bB major, the melody will not change in any way. This is a common phenomenon in daily life: when everyone is singing, the first person raises his voice too low, and everyone will say, raise his voice a little higher. So he changed to a slightly higher key, and then led everyone to start singing. Will the musical effect be very different as a result of this? If we only look at these two adjacent tones, there will not be a big change. BB major only has a minor second interval higher than A major, and there is no obvious change in hearing. But if you look at the change of tonality in conjunction with other factors, you will find that it is very meaningful.
We talked about the element of sound zone before, and each sound zone also has its unique expressive meaning. The treble is bright, the bass is deep, and the midrange is moderate and soft. If a melody is first played in the key of D major, and then raised to the key of A major the second time, the span will be larger (a fifth higher), and you will definitely feel that the change in the register has given the melody a new tone. means.
The combination of instrument performance and tonality will also produce different effects. Brass instruments have special structures and overtone sequences (synthetic tones produced by vibrating bodies and air columns). It is easier to play keys with flats, and will have good sound and timbre, such as B flat, E flat, etc., while string instruments prefer keys with sharps, such as D, A, E tune. Therefore, when composers write instrumental music, they must take into account the performance of the instrument when choosing the tonality.
What is interesting is that composers often have a purely personal sense of tonality. When some people write about sad music, they will use a key with more flats. When writing about bright and simple music, C major, F major, G major, etc. are often the first choice. Some people even think that each key They all come in different colors, including red, blue, green, white and so on.
In order to create changes and contrasts in musical colors, composers often use multiple tones in a work, switching from one to that, which is called "modulation". "View of the Morning" from the orchestral suite "Peer Gynt" by the Norwegian composer Grieg is a ditty that uses very wonderful modulation techniques, successfully depicting the sunrise in the desert for the listener. view. The composer only used one melody and used modulation techniques to create a gorgeous and colorful picture. From the sky just turning white, to the sun gradually rising, and finally illuminating the earth, the vivid color changes make the listener feel as if they are actually there. At the beginning, the theme melody appeared in the key of E major, and then there were a series of modulations: G major, B major, F major, C minor, D major, etc., and finally returned to the starting E major. The final "tonal return" is to give the whole song a consistent and stable effect.
Example 7: The "View of the Morning" theme from Grieg's Orchestral Suite "Peer*"
Example 6: Grieg's Orchestral Suite "Peer*" The theme of "Chao Jing" in "Jint"
3. Polytonality and atonality
"Polytonality" and "atonality" These two words were rare in the past era, but they are often seen in twentieth-century music. This is because many composers in the twentieth century broke the traditional concept of mode and tonality and adopted a new musical vocabulary.
For people who are accustomed to classical music such as European music of the 18th and 19th centuries, polytonality and atonality are simply unbearable. The so-called polytonality is tonality. For example, in a big band, if the string part plays a melody in the key of C major and the woodwind part plays another melody in the key of E major, it will give people a very strange feeling and a feeling of being at a loss. When we introduced the element of rhythm, we talked about "compound rhythm", that is, during the progress of music, two or even three different rhythms appear at the same time, such as one part with two beats and another part with three beats. It creates The feeling is diverse. The same goes for polytonality. For example, a short violin duet by the Hungarian composer Bartók sounds very fresh and interesting due to its use of polytonality.
Song Example 7: Bartók Violin Duo, No. 27
This "polytonality" technique of using different tones in different parts was popular in the twentieth century There are many composers who want to break the original single tonal thinking and create a greater sense of space and diversity. In the second half of the 19th century, there were also some composers who were not satisfied with the stability of staying in a certain key. They not only used modulation to create changes, but also encrypted the frequency of modulation, sometimes changing the key once every two measures. The result is a sense of tonality that becomes very blurry and almost illegible. The polytonality of the 20th century is different. It does not frequently change keys in time sequence, but appears in different keys at the same time. This approach is bolder than frequent changes of key.
As for atonality, there is no traditional concept of tonality in music. As mentioned before, each mode has its own specific structure, such as tonic, dominant, subordinate, etc. Each tone in the scale performs its own duties and must not be offside. In atonal music, this structure is completely destroyed. It doesn’t matter tonic or dominant. They have become a group without kings and ministers. They can move freely in any direction and let the music flow in any direction without any scruples. Starts and ends musically. This kind of atonal music often confuses people who are used to listening to classical music, because there is almost no way for people to hum and remember this melody. The following ditty by the Austrian composer Sch?nberg is atonal and is selected from his "Five Orchestral Pieces".
Song Example 8: Schoenberg's "Five Orchestral Pieces" No. 5
Atonal music gives people a sense of liberation and great room for imagination. Just like the abstract paintings of the 20th century or Picasso's metamorphosis paintings, the original concrete and rigorous forms of objects or characters disintegrate in this kind of painting, becoming free and novel. Someone once asked those composers with strange techniques with disgust and curiosity why they wrote such ugly atonal music. Their answer was: I think it sounds good.
There is no big reason here, it’s just a different aesthetic. We all have the right to like or dislike something. You must know that the concept of "beauty" is not fixed, and it does not have an absolute standard.