What does Key mean in music?

Key

The tonal centre that organises a piece of music around a specific note and scale.

About Key

A key defines the harmonic and melodic framework of a compositionCompositionThe art and craft of creating original music by organising sounds, rhythms, and harmonies into a…View full entry → by establishing a tonicTonicThe first and most important note of a key, serving as the central point of rest and resolution.View full entry → note and a corresponding scaleScaleAn ordered series of pitches ascending or descending by step.View full entry → — either major or minor. When a piece is said to be "in the key of C major," it means the note C functions as the gravitational centre, and the pitches used are predominantly those of the C major scaleMajor ScaleA seven-note scale with the pattern tone–tone–semitone–tone–tone–tone–semitoneView full entry →.

More fundamental terms

Baroque

The period of Western art music spanning roughly 1600 to 1750, characterised by ornate expression, basso continuo, and the development of tonal harmony.

Timbre

The characteristic quality of a sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another.

Harmony

The simultaneous combination of pitches to produce chords and chord progressions.

Rhythm

The pattern of sounds and silences in time.

Drone

A sustained or continuously repeated note or chord that sounds throughout a passage or entire piece

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