Hi, I'm playing Vivace from Baroque flute pieces book 1 which looks to be in D but there are some g sharp accidentals in the piece. Does this change the scale into a minor scale and if so what scale is it, please?

Not got the music but it could be a modulation to the dominant key of A major.

Yes, sbhoa is absolutely right. The piece begins and ends in D major but there is a modulation to A major in the middle.

many thanks for reply - but I have to confess I didn't understand it!





Aaaha now I do - I think - does that mean it just hops into A major for a few bars and then goes back to D?

It's not uncommon for music to have a change of key at some point. This doesn't necessarily involve changing the key signature but just uses the relevant accidentals.
The most common single key change is to the Dominant (the one built on the 5th note of the original scale).

Yes, what you said in the post above.

Yes, that's it exactly. A modulation is the technical term for a temporary key change. The most common modulation in music from this period which is in a major key is to the dominant key, which is the next key sharpwards.

The dominant is the technical term for the fifth note of the scale (eg in D major it's A), which is the key note (tonic is the official name) of this new key.

Clear as mud?

many thanks from 'muddy' - I thought blowing with the appropriate angle, speed and embouchure and moving the fingers faster and faster were the most difficult tasks - but learning the new language and technicalities is even worse!!