Imagine for a moment that time rolled backwards and you found yourself in a chapter in history where they hadn’t yet discovered the sharps and flats, and "pianos" (which wouldn't have been around yet, but if they had been) had only white notes, and the only major scale available was ...
When thinking in scales, it makes sense to begin with the C major scale. This is a good place to start, as you don’t need to worry about sharps or flats (black keys) and can first learn the theory behind the scale. We think of scales as having two parts, a root and a quality...
The confusion comes into play when one considers the musical alphabet and its corresponding “in-between” notes; herein referred to as sharps or flats.In music theory, a note with two different names is called an “enharmonic”.While you may not need to remember this musical term, it does...
Often the ability to read key signatures (the sharps or flats on the left of each staff) depends on knowing the circle of sharps (fifths) and the circle of flats (fourths) also referred to as "knowing your sharps and flats in rotation." Sharps from 1-7 go up in fifths: F#, C#,...
If we choose any note, such as E, and repeat this sequence of whole and half steps, we will have a new scale: the E Major scale. The notes will change. We must have sharps and flats: C major is the only major scale with no sharps or flats....