Alternative to all formal theory considering keys

[emanresu]

Hey.

This has bugged me ever since started learning music. All my life.

In music school, from 1 to 7 years, kids learn 3 chords (T, S, D) and 4 scale types but in 13 keys. *****edit: 30 keys. math error and linguistical error here.
Every year one key gets added. Eventually, in year seven, they have to know those 3 chords in 13 keys.

So!
Instead getting into those degrees and really get to know them, the KEYs are what give the grades.

I stop here at this moment. What are your thoughts in this matter?

edit: added "in music school"

[James W]

What are your thoughts in this matter?

???

Confused.

[emanresu]

???

Confused.

I need more than ??? to fix the post.

[James W]

Hey.

This has bugged me ever since started learning music. All my life.

From 1 to 7 years, kids learn 3 chords (T, S, D) and 4 scale types but in 13 keys.
Every year one key gets added. Eventually, in year seven, they have to know those 3 chords in 13 keys.

So!
Instead getting into those degrees and really get to know them, the KEYs are what give the grades.

I stop here at this moment. What are your thoughts in this matter?

Firstly, when I was a kid from the age of 1 to 7 I didn't learn any chords, scale types or keys. Secondly, there are 24 keys, not 13, or if we don't count the minor keys, that would make 12. Thirdly, what do you mean getting into those degrees? Lastly, how do keys give grades?

[emanresu]

You were in a music school?

[James W]

You were in a music school?

Yes, I went to music school. Aged 18-22.

[AllanAllen]

I agree with James. You aren’t making sense. I would add what are TSD chords?

[James W]

I would add what are TSD chords?

Tonic Subdominant, Dominant.

[GordonM]

Hey.

This has bugged me ever since started learning music. All my life.

In music school, from 1 to 7 years, kids learn 3 chords (T, S, D) and 4 scale types but in 13 keys.
Every year one key gets added. Eventually, in year seven, they have to know those 3 chords in 13 keys.

So!
Instead getting into those degrees and really get to know them, the KEYs are what give the grades.

I stop here at this moment. What are your thoughts in this matter?

edit: added "in music school"

This is not the way of music schools in the UK. Your school sounds very poor.

[emanresu]

This is not the way of music schools in the UK. Your school sounds very poor.

I guess thats a hint for me.

[Christian Miller]

Eh????


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[rpjazzguitar]

THIRTEEN keys? Who knew?

That could explain why 8% of my solos really suck.

[Christian Miller]

What????


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[AllanAllen]

Tonic Subdominant, Dominant.

No that can’t be right. The I and IV are both major. Why would you learn 2 majors and a dominant for each key.

[Christian Miller]

No that can’t be right. The I and IV are both major. Why would you learn 2 majors and a dominant for each key.

Because they are the primary functions of the key.

Dude, I don’t mean to be funny, but have you like, you know, played songs? I mean this is basic busking songs for singalongs stuff. G C D, that kind of stuff? The three chord trick?

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[Christian Miller]

My reaction of WTF??? is more based on my total lack of comprehension of anything else in the OP


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[Litterick]

edit: added "in music school"

You are not talking about music school. Kids do not go to music school and learn one key a year. Music schools are found in universities. You are talking about music lessons in secondary school, are you not?

[mr. beaumont]

Play most Ramones songs in 7 short years.

[AllanAllen]

Because they are the primary functions of the key.

Dude, I don’t mean to be funny, but have you like, you know, played songs? I mean this is basic busking songs for singalongs stuff. G C D, that kind of stuff? The three chord trick?

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Well, he didn’t say anything about songs. Just chords. I was thinking chord types(major, minor, ect..) not chord function.

It’s a fair question on your part. Haha

[pamosmusic]

Well, he didn’t say anything about songs. Just chords. I was thinking chord types(major, minor, ect..) not chord function.

It’s a fair question on your part. Haha

Yeah especially tonic dominant is pretty accessible stuff for younger kids. Anything that can be binary … like “same and different” … is pretty workable for young students. Major and minor, step and skip, tonic and dominant.

Adding subdominant would be more involved but yeah …

As for anything else in the OP, I second James’s “???”

[emanresu]

Dunno. I guess the programs are different in other countries.

Here they go through all natural intervals - fine. But chord-wise, it is only
those 3 types. Triads and their inversions for T and S, and dominant gets the 7th only.

And they do the same things in all keys, meaning up to seven sharps or flats.
Basically each year they add 1 flat and 1 sharp.

So the same basic things but the main work is to get those chords learned in all the keys.

It seems kinda.. lacking.

[Christian Miller]

I dunno. what are you trying to achieve?


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[ragman1]

Well, I don't know what that stuff about 13 keys was all about. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding or mis-remembering. But the business of working up through the keys makes a little more sense. They're learning 4-5-1 in all keys from simple to complex. And something to do with scales too.

And, of course, they're starting them very young and doing one change a year. Bearing in mind a year is only the term-times, not literally all year.

In today's terms it does seem a rather rigid and unimaginative way of doing things. Mind you, us older people here will know that's how we learned our multiplication tables, by repetition till we had them off pat - one one's are one, two two's are two, and all that. It does go into the long-term memory and stays with one. I still know right away what seven eight's are (56) without thinking. And I couldn't do maths!

So maybe there's a point to it but, of course, it's merely knowledge unapplied to an instrument. Apparently so, anyway.

It's not ideal but I think we'd have to know a little more about it before passing complete judgement. Maybe there was also some actual musical application involved as well.

[princeplanet]

Funny, Bird once stated in an interview that he though there were 13 keys. Maybe people learn the keys of F# and Gb as separate keys... or something?

[princeplanet]

If it was the difference between F#/Gb, C#/Db, etc, there'd be a lot more than 13!

I know, right?, at least an extra 3, but I'm thinking F# and Gb both get used, say more than C# or Cb. I could be wrong...