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A Mapping Between Musical Notes and Colours

Updated: Sep 30, 2023

The use of colours to represent notes is very popular in the classroom and teaching studio.


  • What colour does your day feel like?

  • What key are your favourite pieces today?

  • Do they match?

I have a particular set of colours I use for keys.


C is red, D is orange, E is yellow, F is green, G is blue, A is purple and B is pink. These colours are used throughout the Triquetrae Music Programmes.


I found this set of major and minor key colours on Facebook, what do you think? Do these colours fit the combined keys of a scale?

 

Musical Key Colours and Characteristics.


C Major - The key of childhood. Innocently happy and as pure as an angel. It's colour is azure.


A Minor - A gentle, soothing key full of sadness. Looking out the window on a rainy day. It's colour is turquoise.


G Major - Gentle, warm, lyrical, tender, and calm. Friendship, family, and happily ever after. The key of peace. It's colour is green.


E Minor - A mysterious, nocturnal sort of key. Moonlight through the pines on a cool night. It's colour is dark, pine green.


D Major - The key of celebration. It is a happy key full of sunshine and optimism. It's colour is yellow.


B Minor - The key of patience. Calm acceptance of fate without complaint, contemplative and even a little sad. It's color is dark yellow.


A Major - The key of youth and innocent young love. It is a bright and cheery key full of energy. It's colour is orange.


F# Minor - A desperate key. Full of anxiety and worry. Thinking about the future. Its colour is purple.


E Major - A warm, energetic key full of life and strength. Its colour is orange.


C# Minor - Serious, solemn, mystical and contemplative. A moonlit night in October. Its colour is dark orange


B Major - A strong key full of passion. Can express a variety of emotions. It's colour is purple.


G# Minor - A serious, solemn, and sober key. Accepting the bitter truth. Its colour is dark brown.


Gb Major - The key of love. Pink skies, purple clouds, Valentine's Day. Its colour is pink.


D# Minor - A key full of sadness, betrayal, tears of agony, and a capacity for rage. Its colour is light brown.


Db Major - A warm and comforting key, but also very sad and sorrowful. Recovering over a great loss. Its colour is vermilion red.


Bb Minor - The key of the grave. Funereal, sorrowful, and depressing. It's colour is black.


Ab Major - Like Db Major, it is a very sad key, but also very warm. It's colour is crimson red.


F Minor - The key of mystery. A noir film in black and white or a misty city by night. Its colour is maroon.


Eb Major - The key of masculinity. Strong, dependable, and loyal. Its colour is ultramarine blue.


C Minor - An innocently sad key. A grey, cloudy afternoon in November. It's colour is gray.


Bb Major - The key of national pride. A hopeful and optimistic key. It's colour is green.


G Minor - A calm but very sad key. A cold, windy day at the seaside. It's colour is light blue.


F Major - The key of nature and femininity. Calm, sweet and childlike. Its colour is scarlet red.


D Minor - An autumnal key. Gloomy and depressing. A misty morning in October. It's colour is mauve.


What do you think?.


Shared from the group Pianists and Piano Lovers, posted by Adorjan Tomlinson on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/groups/2371398774/

 

The following videos and worksheets are from the Triquetrae MusiKIDS programme, but they are relevant to anyone interested in colours and music. Just presented in a child like way.


Colour is an element of art. Pitch is an element of music. Art is visual music and music is melodic art. Each note is represented as a colour.


Orange is between

red and yellow.


D is between C and E.





​Purple is between

red and blue.


A/ B is between C and G.





Green is between

yellow and blue.


F is between E and G.






Chris Caton-Greasley LLCM(TD) MA (Mus)(Open)

Ethnographic Musicologist, Teacher, Researcher

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