Talk:Music Theory/Fundamentals of Common Practice Music/Notation

The Keyboard
It's great to have some help with the book! I was wondering where everyone went! Thanks, Hoogli.

Your textual addition, "On a keyboard, the white keys represent A through G, and back to A again. However, there are also black keys, which play intermediate notes that are known as sharp or flat notes. Oddly, the interval between two white notes is the same as between a black and white note."
 * It might be construed that the intervals B-C and E-F are odd contradictions to the otherwise simple layout of the instrument. Would it be helpful to those who don't have any knowledge of this if we indicate that between any two successive keys is a half step NO MATTER WHAT and that the progression of keys goes (from C) white-black-w-b-w-w-b-w-b-w-b-w-w? This would, to me, seem more consistent a description than "the notes go c-d-e-f-g-a-b-c and the black notes indicate sharps and flats, which are half step modifications to the natural pitches, and then the distance between b and c, and e and f is different than the normal distance between white notes." Let me know what you think! --A.J. 17:59, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

What is the spoiler warning for? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.231.72.129 (discuss • contribs)
 * It's because it's the answer to the above exercise. Oh, and you should sign your comments with ~ . --cuckooman4 (t/c) 00:50, 24 December 2007 (UTC)

Accidentals
Quote: "Following this reasoning to its logical conclusion, you will see that a G-sharp could also be called an A-flat. By which name should you rightfully call that key--G-sharp or A-flat? The answer is, either of them. In fact, all black keys have two note names assigned to them--they are the sharp of the key that precedes it and the flat of the key that follows it. This concept in music theory is called enharmonics. Enharmonic notes are simply two notes which are spelled differently but which have the exact same pitch.

Another way to think of it is to treat enharmonic notes like the American spellings of words versus their British counterparts--for example, American color versus the British colour. While the spelling differs, either spelling is accepted as "correct" and both words mean the exact same thing."

This is not true, as the different spellings of notes are used in different harmonic contexts. A chord that goes Bb-D-F-G# is harmonically very different to one that goes Bb-D-F-Ab, even though they sound the same in isolation (given an equal-tempered tuning system, I should add). Should we not make it clear at this point that this is the case? Or should we leave it for the harmony chapter? Henre (talk) 15:12, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

Basic music theory needed
It is great to see another point of view describing technical information about modes, chord development, progressions and the like in very strait forward language. If there was a bit more description about understanding key signatures and time signatures I would refer students to this book. I hope it is not too mind numbingly basic information. Violinsensei (talk) 01:25, 13 July 2010 (UTC)
 * If you know the information, or can look it up (and provide references) you can add the material yourself. If you need help with editing, check this page, ask in the Reading Room or on my talk page. Xerol Oplan (talk) 06:01, 13 July 2010 (UTC)