An A-minor song will usually start on A and end on A. They usually sound a bit darker (being in a minor key). A C-major song will usually start on C and End on C. They usually sound brighter (being in a major-key). There are, of coarse, modes, and these change the feel of a song dramatically (especially locrian, it just sounds funky). If an A-major song started on B (and ended on B), it would sound very different than if it started and ended on A.

Future Teacher, thanks your explanation made a lot of sense with the A Minor C Major question.

I find I understand things good how you say them, if you want to just babble about basic theory go ahead, I will listen.

It's easier to explain specific questions. If you have a detailed question just ask. I am glad you are able to follow my explanations. I hope to be teaching and it's good to know people follow what I think is a logical explanation.

Like I said-I am a bit of a theory geek......

Jenna

When I play melodies and harmonies using only the black keys on the piano, am I playing in pentatonic scale?

No. The pentatonic scale is a major scale with the fourth and the seventh omitted.

To be a little more specific, a pentatonic scale is any scale made up of 5 notes. Since there are only 5 different black keys on the piano, yes, that is a pentatonic scale.

If you begin the "black-key" pentatonic scale on F#/Gb, you are playing the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of a normal major scale (the example future_teacher provides), which happens to be the pentatonic scale that we most associate with the word "pentatonic". It carries a distinctly Chinese-sounding quality, as much Chinese folk music is based on this scale.

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That was why I asked, it does sound very Far East or even a bit American folk. Thank you!

there are no stupid questions, there are only stupid teachers.

Yes, I've seen many of those.

Your questions are not stupid but basic questions that need answering. So often we skip the true basics of a subject and expect the rest to fall into place. Well it's really not the best way to go.

...1)yes it is. 2) there are many types of pentatonic scales. anhemitonic and hemitonc pentatonic scales.