Major or relative minor key question

[SteveCS]

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I just asked this question here - what key is Dreams by Fleetwood Mac? It’s an F Major chord followed by a G Major chord….

What you hear and the context in which you hear it is more important than what you see. So how about the key being A minor? That one instance in the middle is highly restful and stable - if you want a 'live' ending a big Am chord is a fine place to resolve everything and 'break the cycle'. Try ending on a C - in the context of the F and G it functions as dominant and draws you back into the cycle.

 

[Mark Ambler]

Another example. My Funny Valentine form is AABC. AA) C minor, B) Eb, C) C minor resolving to Eb.
The song is predominantly in C minor, so that's what it is.

 

[JohnBrown13]

I've been wondering lately how one tells if a piece of music is written in a Major key, or its relative minor? So, if the key signature is 3 flats (for example), what if anything would tip me off that it was written in Eb Major instead of C minor, or vice versa?

I've always wondered about this but never really addressed it before as people usually will tell you what key they're in. Should I assume it's in the Major key unless told otherwise?



Thanks in advance. Wincraft

3 flats could be Eb major or C minor — same notes. The real giveaway is which note/chord feels like “home.” If it resolves to Eb, it’s probably Eb major. If everything pulls toward C (and especially if you see B naturals popping up as a leading tone), it’s likely C minor.

 

[Mark Ambler]

3 flats could be Eb major or C minor — same notes. The real giveaway is which note/chord feels like “home.” If it resolves to Eb, it’s probably Eb major. If everything pulls toward C (and especially if you see B naturals popping up as a leading tone), it’s likely C minor.

Yes. My Funny Valentine (Cm or Eb), AABC. The A sections are predominantly Cm with the last C section Cm but resolving to Eb. The bridge is in Eb. So, although the song resolves to Eb, etc, the character of the song is Cm, imo. Written in 1937, my, how we've progressed

 

[Pacman]

Yes. My Funny Valentine (Cm or Eb), AABC. The A sections are predominantly Cm with the last C section Cm but resolving to Eb. The bridge is in Eb. So, although the song resolves to Eb, etc, the character of the song is Cm, imo. Written in 1937, my, how we've progressed

My Funny Valentine (like many jazz standards) is actually in more than one key. Predominantly, the key is Cm, but the bridge is in Eb major.

Music definitely hasn't progressed since 1937, it continues to get more and more simple.

 

[Mark Ambler]

My Funny Valentine (like many jazz standards) is actually in more than one key. Predominantly, the key is Cm, but the bridge is in Eb major.

Music definitely hasn't progressed since 1937, it continues to get more and more simple.

Simple is way too polite!