I know next to nothing about musical theory. Torturous, mandatory participation in musical endeavors in youth taught me how to read music and the very fundamentals.
Why does changing the number of sharps and flats in the key so dramatically change the entire sound of the piece? Why is the key so important that famous pieces of music are billed as “Such and such in G major” or whatever?
I mean I know that some of the notes will be half a step higher or lower depending on what the key falls for. But I can’t imagine why that changes so much. I’ve heard songs like The Star Spangled Banner and other famous works played in a minor key and it completely changes the entire sound. How?
In: Culture
When you hear music, you hear two things. The note, and the distance between the note and the next note (and next note and so on). Music written in a certain “key” will sound as it sounds because we hear the notes, and intervals, as they were intended.
Changing the key, otherwise known as “transposing,” will change the note BUT WILL NOT change the interval between notes. Thus, the piece will still be recognizable. They “sound different” because the notes are different, each note having its own rich overtones and undertones. But
However, when you change keys into a MINOR key (from major, or vice versa), you have changed (some of) BOTH the notes and the intervals between the notes. The piece of music will thus sound different. A half-decent ear could still “pick out” the original piece of music, as the original (especially if we have enjoyed it/listened to it many times) will still be in our memory. But the sound colour is fundamentally different.
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