#send all the positive vibes you can to Alabama y’all

[fluent-in-lesbianism]

My little cousin’s trying out for her school’s volleyball team in 2 weeks and she’s so nervous she texted me to see if I would come over and help her practice after school she’s so sweet to think of me to help her like that 😭

[matpisound]

key signatures: what’s the difference? part 1/2

Y’all may have heard me talk about key signatures a lot, especially if you know me personally. Some of you may be thinking things like “Ok, what does that mean?” or “How are these to keys different?”. Well then, my friends, prepare to learn some things about sounds today.

First, let’s talk about what a key signature is. I’ll keep this brief because today isn’t for defining things, but a song’s key is the central musical scale it’s based around. What key the song is in can dramatically change the song’s mood, and a lot of artists employ this effect by changing keys at certain points during the song. This is basically gonna be a list of the 24 commonly used keys and modes and what kind of feelings they spark. Of course, this is gonna all be from my point of view, so feel free to discuss what certain key signatures sound like to you.

Anyway, we’ll start with the major keys. Also, called the Ionian mode by music nerds, the major keys are typically associated with happy songs. To me, they often give off a brighter color than their minor counterparts. Without further ado, let’s start talking about sounds.

C Major - While there is a lot you can do with this key, it gives off a feeling of home and contentment. It’s got a nice sky blue color to it, which sort of adds a sense of relaxation and restfulness to some songs that use it. A few songs that use this key include “House of Gold” by twenty one pilots and “All the Small Things” by blink-182.

D♭ major - One of my favorite keys, this one is similar to C major in conveying a sense of contentment or stagnation, but this one can pack a ton of emotion into it as well. The specific emotions packed into this key vary by song, but pretty much any song you hear in this key will be full of it. Take a listen to “Sasanqua” by Afterglow or “Amaryllis” by Shinedown to get a feel for what I mean.

D major - This is a very sunny key to me, evoking feelings of getting up and doing things and just seizing the day sort of. It’s definitely a very happy key signature, and you can see this in songs like “I’m Not Alright” by Shinedown or “Stars” by Andrew Huang.

E♭ major - A versatile key, E♭ major can convey a wide range of emotions, from nostalgia, to inspiration, to wonder, and many others. Overall, it carries positive and hopeful undertones, and songs in this key typically help me during a rough patch. You've probably heard this key in a lot of songs, such as Coldplay's "Fix You" and Imagine Dragons' "Demons". Another song I definitely recommend is "This Isn't The End" by Owl City, which starts off in E♭ and is just a beautiful song overall.

E major - Like E♭ major, E major has a ton of versitality. The main difference here is that this key cranks it up to 11. All emotions are amplified listening to songs in E. Especially nostalgia; any nostalgic song in E major just feels so much more so than almost any other song. "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey and "Counting Stars" by OneRepublic are perfect examples of this.

F major - One of my favorite keys, there’s a lot of ways it can be used. It lends itself to the meaning of the song and amplifies whatever emotion it conveys. You see this in songs like “Just the Way You Are” by Bruno Mars and “21 Guns” by Green Day. It’s hard to really pinpoint a specific set of emotions conveyed by this key because it’s so damn flexible, but the one thing that remains consistent is that it’s an extremely beautiful key. It is the musical equivalent of the word “beautiful”. Take a listen to ONE OK ROCK’s “Wasted Nights” or LiSA’s “No More Time Machine” and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

G♭ major - Come to think of it, there aren’t many songs that I’ve heard in this key. There are several songs in its relative minor key, E♭ minor, but the major key is almost devoid of music I’ve heard. So based on the few songs I have heard, those being “All Star” by Smash Mouth, “A Sky Full of Stars” by Coldplay, “Y.M.C.A.” by Village People, and of course “ZEAL of proud” by Roselia, I’ll try to come up with something. The one thing these songs (well, three of them) have in common is the sentiment of getting back on your feet, so it’s definitely a very uplifting key signature, and listening to “A Sky full of Stars”, which is a much different song thematically than the others in the list, the uplifting undertones are very present within the song. So there we have it. G♭ major exudes uplifting vibes.

G major - These next few keys are gonna be a lot clearer than the past few have been. This one definitely evokes the feeling of returning home after a long journey, and the way that home is defined, as well as the way it manifests within the song can vary a lot. Take, for example, “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd and “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance. They both have that feeling of coming back home, but differ wildly in how it’s expressed. Also listen to “The Messenger” by Linkin Park and “Sanctuary” by Roselia.

A♭ major - Alright this was one of the clearest of these 24 keys in terms of the feeling evoked by it. Pretty much every single song in this key conveys a sense of longing. Whether it be for love or for better times, that sense of longing is ever present in every single song. If you needed a few examples of this in action, take a listen to “One More Light” by Linkin Park, “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, “American Idiot” by Green Day, or “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay.

A major - Now here’s a key that just screams emotion. Songs in this key can make you an emotional wreck, send you into a tsunami of nostalgia, or both. It definitely depends on the song, but A major is just filled with these kinds of emotions, and they hit especially hard for the songs that mean a lot to you. You’ll feel this in songs like “Heavy” by Linkin Park and “Take On Me” by a-ha. As for songs with a lot of personal meaning, one of my personal favorites in this key is “U&I” by Ho-Kago Tea Time, as well as the stripped down arrangement of it featured in the ending of episode 20 of the “K-On!!” anime’s second season.

B♭ major - This key is known for conveying a sense of familiarity; sort of like visiting a place that was important to you in the past. In that sense it conveys a lot of nostalgia as well. I’ve noticed a lot of popular movie themes are either in this key, or its relative minor key, G minor. That, I believe, has to do with the familiarity conveyed by this key. For themes in B♭ major, take the main themes from Star Wars or Jurassic Park, both composed by the legendary John Williams. As for other forms of music, “Charlie Brown” by Coldplay, “Karma Chameleon” by the Culture Club, and “Battle Symphony” by Linkin Park are great examples of songs in this key.

B major - This one’s kinda hard to pinpoint. If I had to pick a word to describe it, I’d use “introspection”. Why? A lot of songs in this key feel give of the vibe of looking in towards oneself, like “Shadow Of The Day” by Linkin Park, “Yellow” by Coldplay, “Holding on to You” by twenty one pilots, or even “Learn to Fly” by the Foo Fighters. That said, there are some very notable exceptions to this, including “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC. But for the most part, you’ll feel a lot of introspectiveness from B major, and perhaps a mountain of emotions as well.

Anyway, in order to keep this from getting too long, I’ll split this into two parts, and I’ll get the minor keys in next time. So before I go, I wanna say that music is subjective, and this kind of thing applies to myself. I’d love to hear y’all’s opinions on music, and how certain songs make you feel. With that, I’ll see you at the double barline!