In this lesson, we’ll be dealing with the concept of playing by association and the relationship between major keys.
One of the common challenges most musicians have is playing in all the twelve major keys and this is because every key on the keyboard is unique and has its mechanical and challenge.
I’ve been there, and I can tell you that it’s not easy to grow to the point where you can confidently play in any major key. However, if you learn what I’m about to share with you in this lesson (which is called playing by association), then playing in all the keys will be a walk in the park for you.
Let’s get started by refreshing our minds on the concept of key.
A Short Note On The Concept Of Key
There are twelve unique notes on the piano:
The concept of key focuses on the establishment of any of these given notes as a tonal center, as such, having its unique relationship with other tones.
The establishment of a key center involves these eight components:
- Tonic
- Supertonic
- Mediant
- Subdominant
- Dominant
- Submediant
- Subtonic
- Octave
Altogether, these eight components establish the tonic (which is the first tone in the key) as the key center. Nevertheless, beyond the establishment of a key center, every key has its unique character, which can either be major or minor.
The character of the major key is synonymous with goodness, day, light, happiness, and so on. On the other hand, the minor key has a contrasting character that is synonymous with day, darkness, evil, and so on.
The simplest major key to think of is the key of C major:
…which is established by all the white notes on the piano from C to C, and its relative minor key – A minor:
…which is established by all the white notes on the piano from A to A.
Therefore, when a particular piece of music is in a given major or minor key, it means that the elements of that pieces (from notes, to intervals, to chords, to chord progressions) are derived from the eight degrees.
“Here Are The Major Keys…”
C major:
Db major:
D major:
Eb major:
E major:
F major:
Gb major:
G major:
Ab major:
A major:
Bb major:
B major:
Attention: To learn more about this, I recommend that you get our 500+ page course: The “Official Guide To Piano Playing.” Click here for more information.
White Keys Vs Black Keys
Depending on your musical influence and exposure, you may find the following white keys:
B major:
E major:
A major:
D major:
…more comfortable to play in than the following black keys:
Bb major:
Eb major:
Ab major:
Db major:
…or the other way round: where you’re more comfortable playing in black keys than in white keys.
A classical music background can expose you to the key of B, E, A, and D major; as opposed to gospel music that exposes you to the key of Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db.
Submission: The statement above is based on a recent research and might not be absolutely true in certain cases.
The Concept Of Playing By Association
The concept of playing by association has to do with the use of colors, shapes, intervals, etc., to create a mental link between a familiar idea and and unfamiliar one.
We’ll be seeing how white keys can be associated with black keys and vice-versa.
Association Of B With Bb
The key of Bb major:
…can be associated with the key of B major:
…and this is possible if you’re observant enough to spot the color link between both keys.
Here’s what you have to note:
All black notes in the key of Bb major become white notes in the key of B major and vice-versa
All white notes in the key of Bb major become black notes in the key of B major and vice-versa
“Let’s Take A Closer Look…”
The black notes in the key of Bb major:
…are its first and fourth tones Bb and Eb:
In the key of B major:
…the first and fourth tones are white in color and are B and E (respectively):
So, black notes in the key of Bb major (which are Bb and Eb):
…are actually white notes in the key of B major (B and E):
The second, third, fifth, sixth, and seventh tones of the Bb major scale (which are C, D, F, G, and A):
…are black in color in the key of B major (as C#, D#, F#, G#, and A#):
The 1-chord in the key of Bb major (the Bb major triad):
…can be associated with the 1-chord in the key of B major (which is the B major triad):
A closer look will show you the link between both chords:
Bb major triad (black – white – white)
B major triad (white – black – black)
I truly believe you can see how the key of Bb major can be associated with the key of B major using colors as the mental link.
Attention: To learn more about this, I recommend that you get our 500+ page course: The “Official Guide To Piano Playing.” Click here for more information.
Association Of E With Eb
The key of E major:
…can be associated with the key of Eb major:
…and this is possible if you’re observant enough to spot the color link between both keys.
Here’s what you have to note:
All white notes in the key of E major become black notes in the key of Eb major and vice-versa
All black notes in the key of E major become black notes in the key of Eb major and vice-versa
“Let’s Take A Closer Look…”
The black notes in the key of E major:
…are its second, third, sixth, and seventh tones (F#, G#, C#, and D#):
In the key of Eb major:
…the second, third, sixth, and seventh tones are white in color and are F, G, C, and D (respectively):
So, black notes in the key of E major (which are F#, G#, C#, and D#):
…are actually white notes in the key of Eb major (F, G, C, and D):
The first, fourth, and fifth tones of the E major scale (which are E, A, and B):
…are black in color in the key of Eb major (as Eb, Ab, and Bb):
The 1-chord in the key of E major (the E major triad):
…can be associated with the 1-chord in the key of Eb major (which is the Eb major triad):
A closer look will show you the link between both chords:
E major triad (white – black – white)
Eb major triad (black – white – black)
I truly believe you can see how the key of E major can be associated with the key of Eb major using colors as the mental link.
Association Of Ab With A
The key of Ab major:
…can be associated with the key of A major:
…and this is possible if you’re observant enough to spot the color link between both keys.
Here’s what you have to note:
All black notes in the key of Ab major become white notes in the key of A major and vice-versa
All white notes in the key of Ab major become black notes in the key of A major and vice-versa
“Let’s Take A Closer Look…”
The black notes in the key of Ab major:
…are its first, second, fourth, and fifth tones (Ab, Bb, Db and Eb):
In the key of A major:
…the first, second, fourth, and fifth tones are white in color and are A, B, D, and E (respectively):
So, black notes in the key of Ab major (which are Ab Bb, Db, and Eb):
…are actually white notes in the key of A major (A, B, D, and E):
The third, sixth, and seventh tones of the Ab major scale (which are C, F, and G):
…are black in color in the key of A major (as C#, F#, and G#):
The 1-chord in the key of Ab major (the Ab major triad):
…can be associated with the 1-chord in the key of A major (which is the A major triad):
A closer look will show you the link between both chords:
Ab major triad (black – white – black)
A major triad (white – black – white)
I truly believe you can see how the key of Ab major can be associated with the key of A major using colors as the mental link.
Association Of D With Db
The key of D major:
…can be associated with the key of Db major:
…and this is possible if you’re observant enough to spot the color link between both keys.
Here’s what you have to note:
All white notes in the key of D major become black notes in the key of Db major and vice-versa
All black notes in the key of D major become black notes in the key of Db major and vice-versa
“Let’s Take A Closer Look…”
The black notes in the key of D major:
…are its third and seventh tones (F# and C#):
In the key of Db major:
…the third and seventh tones are white in color and are F and C (respectively):
So, black notes in the key of D major (which are F# and C#):
…are actually white notes in the key of Db major (F and C):
The first, second, fourth, fifth, and sixth tones of the D major scale (which are D, E, G, A, and B):
…are black in color in the key of Db major (as Db, Eb, Gb, Ab, and Bb):
The 1-chord in the key of D major (the D major triad):
…can be associated with the 1-chord in the key of Db major (which is the Db major triad):
A closer look will show you the link between both chords:
E major triad (white – black – white)
Eb major triad (black – white – black)
I truly believe you can see how the key of E major can be associated with the key of Eb major using colors as the mental link.
Final Words
Using the concept of playing by association, I’m very certain that you can associate familiar keys with keys you’re not so familiar with.
I hope this helps someone out there.
All the best!
Chuku Onyemachi
Latest posts by Chuku Onyemachi (see all)
- The Formation Of Diminished Seventh Chords Used To Be Challenging Until I Did This
- How To Form Seventh Chords In Two Shakes Of A Dog’s Tail Using Third Intervals And The Circle Of Fifths Chart
- I Played The 13sus4 Chord And This Happened…
- How To Build Seventh Chords Like An Architect Using “Foundation And Structure” Concept
- This 4-Week Plan Will Help You Master All The Major Scales
Comments on this entry are closed.