Key
A tonic plus a mode — only the two together make a key
Related
A key is the combination of a tonic and a mode: C major is "tonic C plus major mode", A minor "tonic A plus minor mode". Saying "the key of C" is ambiguous in Chinese — it may mean C major or merely a tonic on C; a complete statement gives both the tonic and the mode.
It differs from a key signature: the signature is the sharps and flats on the page, the key is the heard centre and scale structure. The usual mistake is to equate signature with key: C major and A minor share a signature but are different keys. A key is the music's home; the signature is only how the address is written.
Read deeper → tonality
Sources
- 调的构成与调号/调性的区别，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Key"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.