Possible stupid question

[suityou316]

Key signature has 1 flat
How do you tell if the key is F or Dm?

[dot-dot-dot]

By how cheerful it sounds?

[suityou316]

Looking up D minor on wiki tells me a list of songs in this key, including:
Lick My Love Pump - Nigel from Spinal Tap :lol:

[timmyo]

Looking up D minor on wiki tells me a list of songs in this key, including:
Lick My Love Pump - Nigel from Spinal Tap :lol:

... the saddest of all keys . . .

[frankus]

Key signature has 1 flat
How do you tell if the key is F or Dm?

F major will probably have a C dominant chord going to an F major chord somewhere.

Dm might have an A dominant to D minor progression in it.

V -> I is quite popular, whereas III -> VIs are not so popular.. but you do see a III IV ii V i from time to time but that's not the point....

My advice is try and find the 3rd note... if you trill A -> Ab and that sounds like a point you could end a phrase on... I'd say it was F..

Also on the stave Dm is more likely to have a C# accidental in it, as it might use the melodic minor at times (R2b3456b7)... whereas few tunes modulate from Fmaj to F augmented or lydian augmented.

At the end of the day the key signature tells you the most common notes as viewed by the arranger... just as time signatures are usually chosen to show the simplest way of explaining the notes inside bars.

[suityou316]

Cool, thanks for that.
It's definately D minor, but there are no C# accidentals, there are a couple of G# accidentals though (I'm not discounting that the melody was written down wrong)
The chords are variations of A7, Bb7, Dm, Eb, Em & F7.

[jalapeno]

Is Dm a key ?

Surely the key is F regardless - but the tonal centre (what sounds good) is Dm ?

[clarky]

Is Dm a key ?

Surely the key is F regardless - but the tonal centre (what sounds good) is Dm ?

Dm is a key...

for example:

JS Bach: Toccata and Fugue in Dm

in this case, the word in = in the key of
however, this translation does not alway work

getting your nuts in
would become
getting your nuts in the key of

which would make people apprehensive and all expecting...

Jal - I got me nuts in......

long awkward pause...

other person - go on

long pause..

Jal - erm.. that's it.. I was sort of pleased with myself really..

other person - but what key?

so...
when using the word in, be very careful

[frankus]

Is Dm a key ?

Surely the key is F regardless - but the tonal centre (what sounds good) is Dm ?

It's a key but not a key signature. The mood of the piece should indicate if it's minor, if you play through it you should here that... alternatively you'll remind me of B.B. King in the film Amazon Women on the Moon where B.B. makes a plea for the Charity "Niggers without Soul" (B.B. King said this, I'm just typing it) one character is happily singing some of Carol Carpenters darker tunes.. with a big smile on his face.