# key/note (music)



## gaer

We frequently say, "Hold the note". This is sloppy. The correct word, in English, is "key". If I tell a child to "hold a key", it means to keep a key pressed down, finger continuing to hold it down.

"Note" refers specifically to what is written on a page. 

"There are three notes in that chord."

This means that you are looking at written music, and three circles (notes) are stacked showing that three keys must be depressed at the same time.

"To play a 'C chord' you have to play three keys". Now you are talking about three white or black keys on the piano. We frequently use "notes", which is technically wrong.

Is there a difference in Spanish between "key" and "note"?

Gaer


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## julian_lp

gaer said:


> We frequently say, "Hold the note". This is sloppy.
> Is there a difference in Spanish between "key" and "note"?
> 
> Gaer



Yes, note is the sound, key is the mechanical device (in the case of pianos) which calls the note

key = tecla
note = nota

edit: keep in mind that instruments like violin, guitar, chelo, flute, don't have keys at all...


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## Chipiron

gaer said:


> We frequently say, "Hold the note". This is sloppy. The correct word, in English, is "key". If I tell a child to "hold a key", it means to keep a key pressed down, finger continuing to hold it down.
> 
> "Note" refers specifically to what is written on a page.
> 
> "There are three notes in that chord."
> 
> This means that you are looking at written music, and three circles (notes) are stacked showing that three keys must be depressed at the same time.
> 
> "To play a 'C chord' you have to play three keys". Now you are talking about three white or black keys on the piano. We frequently use "notes", which is technically wrong.
> 
> Is there a difference in Spanish between "key" and "note"?
> 
> Gaer


Hi!, 
 
I agree with Julian,
 
Key: Tecla
Note: Nota
 
But the use is similar. I mean, we use note to mean key.
 
When you say “Hold the note” we say, “alarga esa nota”, We use note instead of key  ( and I think that it´s  correct as you are pressing a key to hold a sound, a note).
 
Cheers,

P.S: Forgive my mistakes.


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## gaer

julian_lp said:


> Yes, note is the sound, key is the mechanical device (in the case of pianos) which calls the note
> 
> key = tecla
> note = nota
> 
> edit: keep in mind that instruments like violin, guitar, chelo, flute, don't have keys at all...


Yes. That's it. Tecla. I can double-check such words on a German-Spanish site. Tecla=Taste=key.

Brass instruments have "valves". For instance, modern "valve trompets" are "Klappentrompeten", "Klappe" being "valve". Strangely, one of the words given for this is also "tecla". Is this correct?

Then there are "keys" for woodwind instruments, and they are completely different things. Very confusing. 

Gaer


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## julian_lp

gaer said:


> Then there are "keys" for woodwind instruments, and they are completely different things. Very confusing.



Yep, nasty


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## gaer

Chipiron said:


> Hi!,
> I agree with Julian,
> 
> Key: Tecla
> Note: Nota
> 
> But the use is similar. I mean, we use note to mean key.


Yes. That's the problem. The correct word is "key", and I have to be careful to use that when I'm teaching, to make sure students know if I am talking about keys on the piano or notes on the page.

It's really not correct to say, "There are 88 notes on a standard piano."


> When you say “Hold the note” we say, “alarga esa nota”, We use note instead of key ( and I think that it´s correct as you are pressing a key to hold a sound, a note).


That would be correct if the point is to hold the sound for a musical reason. That has nothing to do with what I am teaching here. The key has to be held for the child not to lose his/her place on the page, then the child says the next note and I say, "Go".

It's very specific. One specific meaning given for "tener" is "halten", hold.

Is there any chance that she used some form of "tener"? It would not have to be a command. I'm so sorry that I can't be of more help. If none of this "rings a bell", I'll have to get the lady to write down what she said. Very frustrating.  

Gaer


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## cascade

Are you possibly thinking of _sostener_?  _sostener una nota _also means to sustain or hold a note...


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## gaer

cascade said:


> Are you possibly thinking of _sostener_? _sostener una nota _also means to sustain or hold a note...


No. this is *not* about sustaining a note. 

That's a totally different concept:

"Don't forget to hold the chord for the full measure". There "hold" means "sustain". In this instance, "hold" simply means "don't let go", "don't move the finger until I say so."

Gaer


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## Chipiron

gaer said:


> Yes. That's the problem. The correct word is "key", and I have to be careful to use that when I'm teaching, to make sure students know if I am talking about keys on the piano or notes on the page.
> 
> It's really not correct to say, "There are 88 notes on a standard piano."
> 
> *You are right, we must say keys in this case.*
> 
> That would be correct if the point is to hold the sound for a musical reason. That has nothing to do with what I am teaching here. The key has to be held for the child not to lose his/her place on the page, then the child says the next note and I say, "Go".
> 
> *Even so, I think that I would never say "tecla" here.*
> * It isn´t a musical reason to hold the note here, but it means that she/he understand what she/he is reading,identify the note, and press the key that represent the note.*
> *I can´t** remember my piano teacher saying "preiona esa tecla/ mantén esa tecla"... but "alarga/manten esa nota".*
> 
> It's very specific. One specific meaning given for "tener" is "halten", hold.
> 
> *¿Podria ser: "Mantén esa nota"?*
> 
> Is there any chance that she used some form of "tener"? It would not have to be a command. I'm so sorry that I can't be of more help. If none of this "rings a bell", I'll have to get the lady to write down what she said. Very frustrating.
> 
> Gaer


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## danielfranco

Another option in Spanish is to go the other way around, and make it a negative sentence. Instead of saying, "hold the key" you could say "don't let go of the key": "no sueltes esa tecla (keyboard) / llave (wind) / pisada (guitar)".
Maybe.


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## seregnar

From a musician's point of view (I play trombone, piano it's just a hobby) a piano teacher use this (in Spain)

hold the note = mantén la nota
hold the key down = mantén la tecla pulsada
hold the chord = mantén el acorde
for the full measure = durante todo el compás


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