When the first steps in extemporizing on
the piano are begun, the transposition advances by leaps and bounds. The
children will be delighted to play their little tonic and dominant
accompaniments in every key--to change from major to tonic minor by
flattening the third and sometimes the sixth of the scale.
There is a sense of freedom and power in such work, to which the class
will readily respond. They soon realize that certain melodies 'only
sound nice' in such and such a key, and in this way the foundation of a
'colour sense' will be laid. Also, apart from the question of the key in
which a melody sounds best to a child, another point comes into notice.
The child cannot sing certain notes in certain melodies unless it keeps
within a certain range of keys. This teaches them something. The point
has been referred to in the preceding chapter.
Altogether it will be seen that the study of transposition is opening a
new window for them into the fairyland of music.
Later on, when a child can compose short harmonized tunes of its own, it
is well to hold up the ideal of being able to transpose them into any
key, and in certain cases, where the melody lends itself to the
treatment, from major to minor, and vice versa.
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