Little revelation about sharps and flats

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  • GuyBodenGuyBoden Frets: 733
    viz said:
    GuyBoden said:
    Good stuff, that's a new approach.

    The following was the method I found for myself many years ago to see key signatures. I see the flats of keys on the fretboard across in fourths, each subsequent fret adds another note to the key in the cycle of fourths (fifths).

    I see the flats of keys on the fretboard across in fourths. (Low to high string.)

    F = Bb
    Bb = Bb Eb
    Eb = Bb Eb Ab
    Ab = Bb Eb Ab Db
    Db = Bb Eb Ab Db Gb
    Gb = Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb


    I see the sharps of keys on the fretboard across in fourths backwards (fifths). (High to low string.)

    G = F#
    D = F# C#
    A = F# C# G#
    E = F# C# G# D#
    B = F# C# G# D# A#
    F# = F# C# G# D# A# E#


    .













    Nice. For me that’s where the 2 mnemonics come in - father charles goes down and ends (battle) - the C# key missing from your list, and for flats, Battle ends and down goes charles’ (father)

    That's a good rhyme, I'm terrible at reading key signatures that have too many sharps. For Jazz improv, if anything had too many sharps I'd play it in the appropriate flat key.
    "Music makes the rules, music is not made from the rules."
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    GuyBoden said:
    viz said:
    GuyBoden said:
    Good stuff, that's a new approach.

    The following was the method I found for myself many years ago to see key signatures. I see the flats of keys on the fretboard across in fourths, each subsequent fret adds another note to the key in the cycle of fourths (fifths).

    I see the flats of keys on the fretboard across in fourths. (Low to high string.)

    F = Bb
    Bb = Bb Eb
    Eb = Bb Eb Ab
    Ab = Bb Eb Ab Db
    Db = Bb Eb Ab Db Gb
    Gb = Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb


    I see the sharps of keys on the fretboard across in fourths backwards (fifths). (High to low string.)

    G = F#
    D = F# C#
    A = F# C# G#
    E = F# C# G# D#
    B = F# C# G# D# A#
    F# = F# C# G# D# A# E#


    .













    Nice. For me that’s where the 2 mnemonics come in - father charles goes down and ends (battle) - the C# key missing from your list, and for flats, Battle ends and down goes charles’ (father)

    That's a good rhyme, I'm terrible at reading key signatures that have too many sharps. For Jazz improv, if anything had too many sharps I'd play it in the appropriate flat key.
    Well, the system of keys does that for you, right? Down the right hand side of the co5 the keys G D A E B and F# accumulate sharps to a maximum of 6 (unless you include C# which has a 7th); the one after C# would have to deploy a double-sharp, an F##, but of course you’re well round the left hand side of the c05 by then, on Ab, which has 4 flats. 

    So really there’s very rarely an option to switch a key with too many sharps for an enharmonic flat key, apart from C#, which you’d switch to Db, and even so I’ve never heard anyone ever try to say C# major.

    Unless you’re talking about people saying “play it in G# major” or D# major or A# major or E# major, or oddest of all, B# major!

    A# major for example would have A# B# C## D## E# F## G## and A# - I agree with you, I’d prefer to call that Bb!

    The only time I can think of for wanting to call a key A# for example is in a modulation where say you’re in A and you want to shift up a semitone, then I guess you could call that A# major instead of Bb, but it’s still a bit strange.
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10644
    Right me hearties, I managed to save up enough money to get the minor version of the dodecahedron to accompany the major one. It’s a fantastic little device for anyone who wants instant recall of the keys and their sharps and flats. D minor? 1 flat! D# minor? 6 sharps :)

    https://i.imgur.com/XYbsK5J.jpg
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
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