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 Forum index » Discussion » Composition
Do you have a favourite key while composing? Major or minor?
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renevanderwouden



Joined: Feb 25, 2006
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 11:58 am    Post subject: Do you have a favourite key while composing? Major or minor?
Subject description: Major or Minor Keys
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From some Dutch composers I heard that they have a preference of key they're composing/writing in. What's yours? Is in mostly in major or minor?

Mine are:

- Cm
- D
- F#

I can use some chord-progressions in those keys.

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seraph
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 12:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Cm is the key where my hands fall when sitting in front of a piano but I try to stay away from it Wink
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Mohoyoho



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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Dm and Am
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mosc
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Cmin Amin Cmaj Fmaj Gmaj Gmin Emin Abmaj Ebmaj Dmin Dmaj Pentatonic (black keys and white keys), Whole tone scales on C and C#.
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renevanderwouden



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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Whole tone scales in C like this? C-D-E-F#-G#-A#-C
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mosc
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Yes, Debussy liked that scale quite a bit. Me too... Very Happy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_tone_scale

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renevanderwouden



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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

How about the chord-structures? I don't know, I know Debussy but are not familiar enough with all his work.
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mosc
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PostPosted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 3:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

You get a lot of neat ambiguous chords. The natural triad is the augmented chord. I like this scale because it puts you into different musicial spaces. I tend to get trapped in the blues styles because I learned that when I was a kid and it's hard to out grow.
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orczy



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PostPosted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I don't use minor scales as I don't like the artificially raised 7th. I use most of the modes, but perhaps favour the dorian, phrygian, locrian and aeolian. I don't like the lydian mode as it is too perky.
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seraph
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 3:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

orczy wrote:
I don't like the lydian mode as it is too perky.

that could be a good reason to compose a piece on that mode. I once composed a song called "Lydia". you can probably imagine the basic mode I used Wink

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Last edited by seraph on Thu Jun 05, 2008 3:24 am; edited 2 times in total
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opg



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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 5:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I can't remember which composer, but there was one who said that he especially liked the Gm chord specifically because it "makes women weep." I learned that in my Music Theory class in high school. I do like the Gm7 chord, but to this day, my wife has been especially benign to most of my music in general Rolling Eyes
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mosc
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PostPosted: Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

seraph wrote:
I once composed a song called "Lydia".


Nice... Cool

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Stanley Pain



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PostPosted: Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

i try writing in a key i haven't written in for a long time, or deliberately tune oscillators by ear in hz in such a way that i'm not thinking about the key as such.
also, i love it when i have the balls to write something atonal. tonality is a hard habit to break and i'm not a massive fan of writing serialistically.
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ThreeFingersOfLove



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 4:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I have NEVER ever composed a track in a major chord. Most of my tracks are Bmin, Bflat minor, Csharp minor, D minor and E flat minor.

Cool
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Static Strobe Emitter



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:56 am    Post subject: Now this is interesting.
Subject description: Mostly minor! some major! , and some undefined =o
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Hi there! Very Happy
Well. as this thread exists, i could share some choords
that im abusing. I currently cannot name those choords correctly.
so i let the screen talk instead.

these are string choords, for soft strings, or arppegiated if using
an other sounds.

I use Mainly C,G or A for minor (and F if im making Major stuff)
(and often switches between C and F# and G# while making the most
disharmonic tunes).

i rarely make stuff in B or D for some reason i dont know =o


strobechoords.gif
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grand prize of a cookie for the one who names these choords correctly
(except for the 1st and 2nd one) :X
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strobechoords.gif


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ThreeFingersOfLove



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Well...

none of these chords has a *proper* name. Some of these are pretty dissonant. I mean do you actually use strings and press simultaneously all the notes in a 12 tone scale? In an arpeggio it would be chromatic but I just don't see how it could work with strings.

An interesting and very simple variation, say in F minor, would be, instead of F3-Ab3-B3, F3-B3-Ab4. I use this chord with strings and it always gives a soothing impression.

I remember that in Keyboard magazine, there was this editor - I think his name was Dave Stewart (a very funny guy btw) - who was really into chord stuff. You can be amazed with all the things you can do, weird chord progressions, various voicings and inversions. It just makes you think why most of the tracks are I-V-I.

Cool
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Static Strobe Emitter



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PostPosted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 11:00 pm    Post subject: Fullchro! Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

ThreeFingersOfLove:
Well. here is an example of the full note scale choord Very Happy

its pure wonder. the intense of doing this is just overwhelming!


Fullchro.mp3
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So, here is the wonderful full all-key choord! (with strings)

Download
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ThreeFingersOfLove



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PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 2:44 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Just as I expected

Very Happy Very Happy Very Happy
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bachus



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PostPosted: Fri Sep 01, 2006 4:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I like the whole-step/half-step scales especially for melodic porpoises Wink

C
B
A
G#
F#
F
D#
D
C

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seraph
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

bachus wrote:
whole-step/half-step


arrow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octatonic_scale

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bachus



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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 4:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

seraph wrote:
arrow http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octatonic_scale


How did I get this old without knowing the term "Octatonic"?
Thanks seraph, great link.

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mosc
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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 11:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

Could be you knew it but forgot... Twisted Evil
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bachus



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PostPosted: Sat Sep 02, 2006 12:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

mosc wrote:
Could be you knew it but forgot... Twisted Evil

What were we talking about?

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chuck



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PostPosted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 7:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

I try not to be 'in' any key. In fact I try not to use specific pitches.
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seraph
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 04, 2006 5:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote  Mark this post and the followings unread

chuck wrote:
I try not to be 'in' any key. In fact I try not to use specific pitches.

that's what academic avant-gardists have tried for the last 60 years.

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