Phrase Interpreter Right

Selection of the Key and Identification of the Example Number

Step 1. Write down the name of the notes in your musical sequence.

Step 2. Rearrange the names of the notes in alphabetical order.

Step 3. Identify from the look up table on the left which key contains all your notes.

Step 4. Write under each note of your original musical sequence the corresponding digit from the table on the left. The resulting number is the example number to look up in the example index pages.

Step 5. Go to the Major Example Index page for a Major key or to the Minor Example Index page for a Minor key. The example numbers are hyperlinked to the examples themselves.

A Sample Procedure. Let's suppose that our original musical phrase is the following: "CEEFGAG". Let's rearrange the note names in alphabetical order: "ACEFG". Now from the lookup table on the left we see that our notes belong to the scale in both the F Major and C Major keys. In that last key, A is the sixth (6), C is the tonic (1), E is the third (3), F is the fourth (4), and G is the fifth (5). The associated number for the original sequence is 134565. (We removed the duplicate E, see notes below.) Looking up "134565" in the Major Example Index page gives us the Wilbye, 1609 musical quotation and usually expresses the innocence and purity of angels and children, or some natural phenomenon possessing the same qualities. Had we picked the F Major key, we would have ended up with "571232 ascending", also pointing to the same example.

Notes: It is possible that the same set of notes would lead you to different keys and perhaps to different examples. It's ok, because at that point you can always see which example more closely expresses your original phrase.

Also, some notes may not be essential to the musical phrase you're interested in, and as such could be removed without any loss in emotional feel. Passing notes and duplicate notes are likely candidates.

Sometimes your musical phrase can span more than one musical term or includes a change of keys. Experimenting with splitting the phrase at different points will help come up with more fitting emotional interpretations. A one note change of keys like the "Tierce de Picardie", which switches from a minor key to the corresponding major key on the very last note, needs to be interpreted separately.