Music theory thread

post questions here. I have one. I know which keys point to any note you name on a piano. I know all about flats and sharps, however im having trouble understanding why the circle of fifths theory chooses a sharp (or multiple sharps) in a given key. For example, key of G Major has just 1 sharp (F#). Why F#?

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_intonation#Audio_examples
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Pattern coincidence because B and E do not have sharps. That's why the Simpson's band The B Sharps is such a funny name.

I've always wondered about something. I've heard from many different teachers about how chords naturally tune differently from their base frequencies (for example, the major bB chord would have the major third, D, be flatter when played on a wind instrument.)

If this is true, why aren't chords on pianos naturally out of tune, given the piano is tuned normally?

yeah i get that, but so what? why isn't it C#? or D#? what is this pattern youre talking about?

i would guess the material of a piano vs a wind instrument is causing D to flatten

As to why B and E dont have them I couldnt say but all scales and chords are created using the same patterns regardless of the notes. You count up a certain number of notes in the scale and each more corresponding to the number is added. For example that's what a 7th chord means. The 7th more of that scale is added. So it just works out from the pattern that Gmaj only gets one sharp which I assume is a result from B and E not having sharps i.e. It otherwise would have been those notes hypothetically.

FUCKING autocorrect

More = note

im not asking why B and E don't have sharps, im asking why the G Major scale (or key?) has just 1 sharp and why is it F#?

And I'm saying that all scales are created using the same pattern regardless of key. You simply count through the chromatic scale and each corresponding number is added to the tonal scale. Because of the pattern it is just happenstance that Gmaj only gets one sharp because of this pattern which otherwise would not happen if B and E had sharps.

The major scale is:
(Root) (+2) (+2) (+1) (+2) (+2) (+2) (+1)
Where the numbers refer to semitones.

So G major is:
G, the root note.
+2 semitones is A
+2 semitones is B
+1 semitones is C (Since Bsharp doesn't exist)
+2 semitones is D
+2 semitones is E
+2 semitones is F# (since E sharp doesn't exist)
+1 semitone is G

Therefor, we say the notes in the key of G are G, A, B, C, D, E, and F#.

Hope that helps buddy.

whats the pattern? counting up 7 half tones starting with the base note?

See
I'm going back way too many years here. I'll just saybthay for example a Gmaj7 is created by so my adding the 7th more of the major scale to the Gmaj chord. Yes counting up 7 notes of the major scale from the bass note.

A lot of modernist composers like the idea of replacing traditional note names with numbers, from 1 to 12. Teaching students this first would prevent the confusion of OP's question. F and F# are not more different from each-other than E and F are.

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In jazz, what the fuck do you do with augmented chords. Assuming all jazz chord patterns are basically just ii-V-I in different keys, do you replace ii, V, or I? Or is this finally the point where that basic thinking must be left behind?

yeah thats it. Weird how no beginner tuts ive looked at mentioned this. Thanks anons

ha yeah, it really is as simple as this

because a key consists of a scale of notes separated by definite intervals. depending on the note you start with, this intervalic climb up the scale my pass through a sharpened or flattened pitch.

Nice trips

Might as well post the minor scale for you.

(Root) (+2) (+1) (+2) (+2) (+1) (+2) (+2)

So in the key of E minor

E F# G A B C D E

But wait you say! Those are the same notes as the G major scale. Well, the minor scale is pretty much just the major scale, except with the 6th of the original scale as the root note. The 6th is 9 semitones above, or 3 below, the root note.

So we call E minor the relative minor of G major.

Which means that it only matters if youre playing with someone. If you're just by yourself practicing the scale then its the same thing.

On a guitar for example. Piano is like playing with someone.

Chords on piano ARE naturally out of tune.
Keyboard instruments in the past used a tuning system called just intonation which was based around natural acoustics. The downside is, that it only really worked for one key. So if you had a keyboard that was tuned to one key and wanted to play a piece in a different key, you would either have to retune the keyboard or just play through it out of tune. So the solution for this is equal temperament. This tuning system makes it so that keyboards can play any key at the cost of having every note relative to one another slightly out of tune.

See the difference here:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_intonation#Audio_examples
You will find that the examples in equal temperament have a bit of "wobble" to them while the examples in just intonation are clearer.

Thanks for answering a question I've had for quite some time

I had already considered that the piano could just be slightly out of tune naturally, but that the tone of the instrument makes the difference negligible.

Yeah, it's kinda hard to hear it because our ears are so acclimated to equal temperament.

>from 1 to 12

0-11 get out 1 based indexing reeeeeeeee