Historically, classical composers felt that D minor was the most melancholy of the keys, suitable for lamentations, dirges and requiems.
Spinal Tap’s Nigel Tufnel thought so too, choosing the key for his musical trilogy “Lick My Love Pump.” “I don’t know why,” he remarks in Rob Reiner’s 1984 film, This Is Spinal Tap, “but it makes people weep instantly.”
But do different keys really sound different?
That’s what Adam Neely wanted to know. He observed that, historically, composers have felt that the different keys convey unique emotional states. But even if they did, he conjectures, does that still hold up for modern music?
For example, he notes, 18th-century German composer Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart wrote a musical treatise on the different keys in which he said Eb minor reflected “feelings of anxiety of all the soul’s deepest distress.”
In this video, Adam explores this and many other questions about keys in his search to determine whether or not they have different emotional and musical meanings. He offers a historical perspective on tuning that explains how keys have lost some of their unique characteristics over time.
So, he suggests, maybe there are differences between the keys in our modern tuning system, “it’s just that the differences are a little bit more subtle and maybe not as universal as you might think.”
Or maybe it just comes down to something else unique to the individual instrument.
Take a look. It’s a fascinating perspective.
Adam offers a new video every Monday, so be sure to check out his YouTube channel for more.
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What are letter grades and how do they convert to percentages? Common examples of grade conversion are: A+ (97–100), A (93–96), A- (90–92), B+ (87–89), B (83–86), B- (80–82), C+ (77–79), C (73–76), C- (70–72), D+ (67–69), D (65–66), D- (below 65).
High schools often report GPA (grade point average) on a 4.0 scale. The top grade is an A, which equals 4.0. You calculate your overall GPA by averaging the scores of all your classes. This is a common scale used at most colleges, and many high schools also use it.
To convert your GPA to a 4.0 scale:
Letter Grade Percent Grade 4.0 Scale A+ 97-100 4.0 A 93-96 4.0 A- 90-92 3.7 B+ 87-89 3.3 B 83-86 3.0 B- 80-82 2.7 C+ 77-79 2.3 C 73-76 2.0 C- 70-72 1.7 D+ 67-69 1.3 D 65-66 1.0 E/F Below 65 0.0
The chart is an example to assist in understanding the components to calculate a GPA. Your school may use a different grading scale.
Keep in mind that your high school reports your GPA to your prospective colleges. The GPA listed on your high school transcript might not be what is used by college admissions, since there is a lot of variation in high school grading scales, additional points added for honors, advanced, AP, IB courses.
For admissions, many colleges will recalculate student GPA so there is consistency/equity across applicants based on institutional standards and may not include all high school coursework or weights.
Contact your high school counselor or colleges on your list to learn more about GPA and use in the admissions process. You can also look up the academic requirements of your favorite colleges using College Search and see how your GPA compares to students who got in and enrolled.
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Piano Guidance
Photo: Laura James
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