B minor

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

B minor

Relative key	D major
Parallel key	B major
Enharmonic
Component pitches
B, C#, D, E, F#, G, A, B

B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G, and A. The harmonic minor raises the A to A♯. Its key signature has two sharps linked Scales/keys below (see below: Scales and keys). In German Scales, it is referred to as "h-moll".

Its relative major is D major, and its parallel major is B major.

Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary.

In baroque times, B minor was regarded as the key of passive suffering.^[1] The theorist christian Daniel Schubart regarded B minor as a key expressing a quiet acceptance of fate and very gentle complaint, something commentators find to be in line with Bach's use of the key in the St. John's Passion.^[2] By Beethoven's time, however, the perception of B minor had changed considerably: Francesco Galeazzi wrote that B minor was not suitable for music in good taste, and Beethoven labelled a B minor melodic idea in one of his sketchbooks as a "black key".^[3]

It is a common key used in rock, folk, country and other guitaristic styles because the standard tuning of a guitar causes all the open strings to be scale degrees of B minor. The second movement of Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez, one of the most famous compositions for the classical guitar, is in B minor.

[edit] Well-known Classical pieces in this key

• Mass in B minor - Johann Sebastian Bach
• Piano Sonata in B minor - Franz Liszt
• Piano Sonata No. 3 in B Minor, Op. 58 - Frederic Chopin
• Violin Concerto No. 2 in B Minor (La Campanella) - Niccolo Paganini
• Symphony No. 6 in B Minor, Op. 74 (Pathetique) - Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky

See also: List of symphonies in B minor

[edit] Well-known Popular music in this key

• If You Had My Love - Jennifer Lopez
• Getting Jiggy With It - Will Smith
• Hotel California - The Eagles
• Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5
• Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd (chorus in D major)
• Trouble - Coldplay

[edit] References

1. ^ Xinh's JS Bach B-Minor Mass Balance. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
2. ^ Michael C. Tusa, "Beethoven's "C-Minor Mood": Some Thoughts on the Structural Implications of Key Choice" in Beethoven Forum 2, Christoph Reynolds, ed. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press (1993): 2 - 3, n. 5
3. ^ Ibid, 2, n. 3

v • d • e Diatonic Scales and Keys
	flats sharps major minor major minor 0 C, a 1 F d G e 2 B♭ g D b 3 E♭ c A f♯ 4 A♭ f E c♯ 5 D♭ b♭ B g♯ 6 G♭ e♭ F♯ d♯ 7 C♭ a♭ C♯ a♯
lower case letters are minor the table indicates the number of sharps or flats in each scale