MINOR KEY Definition & Meaning

minor key

noun

Music.

a key or mode based on a minor scale.
a less jubilant or more restrained mood, atmosphere, or quality:
The conversation shifted to a minor key with news of the defeat.

minor key

noun

music a key based on notes taken from a corresponding minor scale

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�y��vlog History and Origins

Origin of minor key¹

First recorded in 1810–20

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Its reflective, minor key melancholy was embraced by fans after the band went on hiatus in 2016.

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Best of all is the lively triple-time finale, which evokes the long history of courtly hunting music, with an alluring short section in minor key.

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A “major key” music piece communicates cheer, while a “minor key” mirrors grief.

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Even as she rejoices, “A home in you I’ve found,” the chords circle around a minor key and she sounds cautious, almost disbelieving.

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The mood is melancholic, redoubled by long, drawn-out notes from the strings and minor key piano arpeggios; passages of happiness feel fragile, fleeting, untrustworthy.

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