Hi,

Can someone explain me why on page 12 of the Music Theory in Practie Grade 5 Exercise 4 (d) (the piece by Pucinni, Madam Butterfly, One Fine Day) the key is Gb Major (as the model aswer says) and not Db major?
I don't see the Cb anywhere so based on what I see I conclude Db major but the answer booklet sayd Gb major.

Now I teach myself and don't have a teacher so maybe someone can explain this to me, please.

Please post the piece in question and then people might be able to help. It's difficult to answer without seeing the actual question.

Yes, it's clearly in Gb (with a nod towards Eb minor in the middle) - it starts on Gb, finishes on Gb and outlines a perfect cadence in Gb at the end.

The reason you couldn't find any Cbs is because there aren't any Cs!!

Thanks

It's a very good question. Yes, on the face of it it could be in Db major as there isn't a Cb (in fact there are no Cs at all) but as it starts on a Gb and ends on a Gb I would be more inclined to choose the key of Gb major.

Does that make sense? If you're doing it in an abstract theoretical way by counting sharps or flats you need to make sure there aren't pitches which are absent (because obviously they can't be sharpened or flattened if they're not there) and that you don't get major and minor muddled up.

It's very good practice to try to sing it in your head, at least to double check.

Dumb question from my side, but how do you distinguish the Gb major from the Eb flat minor then?

Just about to post what Czerny has said although she's put it better than I would have, but beaten to it!!!

Hi it does make sense. I have not come to the cadence yet as that is the second last chapter in Grade 5 of my theory book.

I do wonder whether it would be quite as clear to me if I didn't already know the piece, although I like to think it would.

A good example of somewhere where it's useful to be able to find the tonic??

The previous example on the same page is this:



So this is Eb minor, but why?

Well as I said above, it helps that I already know the piece so can hear the harmony, but as a rough guide you'd be looking for a (or some) D natural(s), and expecting to see more Ebs around. In this case it's only a nod to Eb minor and doesn't have the sharpened 7th, so I'm not sure you'd be able to tell without already knowing the underlying harmony; a Grade 5 theory exam example would probably be more obvious.

By the notes.

Gb major = Gb-Ab-Bb-Cb-Db-Eb-F-Gb
Eb minor = Eb-F-Gb-Ab-Bb-Cb-D-Eb

Its quite clarly major when you sing or play it !

I'm not sure that this is a very easy one, but it has a D natural (in bar 3) and finishes on the Eb - those are the biggest clues.

Hehehe damn, that actually makes a lot of sense, I could have thought of that myself.
Thanks everyone