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major key

American  

noun

Music.
  1. a key whose essential harmony is based on the major scale.


Etymology

Origin of major key

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Near the end, the album breaks into a major key.

From New York Times Nov. 11, 2022

Whether the Celtics can do a better job containing the two-time MVP will be a major key as the best-of-seven series resumes at Chase Center on Monday night with the teams tied 2-2.

From Seattle Times Jun. 12, 2022

Many, if not all of them, are in a bright major key, colorful, buoyant and playful.

From Washington Post Dec. 31, 2021

They live a lot in a major key.

From Slate Jul. 16, 2021

You can begin practicing harmonic analysis by practicing identifying whether a piece is in the major key or in its relative minor.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

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