Root Keys
From “The Pattern of a Key¨ in Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers
The root is the note that the key is named after. The root of the key of C Major is the pitch C. The root of the C Major scale is the pitch C. The root of a C Major chord is the pitch C. The root is always a single note. To find the note in any key, we always start with the root.
The term “root key¨ is not limited to that key (i.e., pitch) for which one finds the key, but can also refer to the key (i.e., pitch) for which one finds the scale or the chord. After all, all of these are built upon the key (i.e., pitch).
Ambiguity of “key¨
It should be apparent that the term “key¨ in music theory can be rather ambiguous. There is the key as in the mechanical sound producer of a given instrument, in this case the standard Western classical piano keyboard . And then there is the key of “in the key of.¨ One way to disambiguate further is to start talking about the former as the associated perceived sound frequency those (mechanical) keys produce, i.e. their “pitch,¨ henceforth using the musical alphabet and its accidentals to talk about pitches rather than (mechanical) keys. This should be no problem in translating this information in a way that helps us navigate our instrument as long as our instrument is “in tune.¨ The latter, on the other hand, i.e. key qua “in the key of,¨ can then continue to be called a “key.¨
root_key root music music_theory keys
bibliography
- “The Pattern of a Key.” In Music Theory for Electronic Music Producers: The Producer’s Guide to Harmony, Chord Progressions, and Song Structure in the MIDI Grid., 1st ed., 54. Minneapolis, MN: Slam Academy, 2018.