G major

G major is a major scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, F# and G. Its key signature consists of one sharp.

Related Topics:
Major scale - Key signature

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In the alto clef, the sharp is usually placed on the first space from the top, though in some Baroque music it is placed on the first line from the bottom.

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Its relative minor is E minor, and its parallel minor is G minor.

Related Topics:
Relative minor - E minor - Parallel minor - G minor

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In the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, "G major is often a key of 6/8 chain rhythms," according to Alfred Einstein.

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69 of Domenico Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas are in G major, and 12 of Joseph Haydn's 104 Symphonies are in G major. Beethoven, on the other hand, hardly used G major, his only major orchestral work in the key being his Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major.

Related Topics:
Domenico Scarlatti - Joseph Haydn - Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major

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For orchestral works in G major, the timpani are typically set to G and D a fifth apart, rather than a fourth apart as for most other keys.

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For singing, G major is considered an easier key than B-flat major, and there is a campaign to have the official version of the Star Spangled Banner transposed to G major.

Related Topics:
B-flat major - Star Spangled Banner

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