On Apr 18, 2005, at 7:19 AM, Eden - Lawrence D. wrote:
Fellow Listers,
I am often undecided about using sharps as accidentals in flat keys and
using flats in sharp keys.
I prefer to simplify the notation, substituting B for Cb, for example, but
I want to know what is the "correct" way to make the decision.
I want my parts to be easily read and played correctly, but I don't want
to violate the rules of theory..
Lawrence,
I don't know how that old myth about not mixing sharps and flats came about. How else are you going to deal with G minor, which has Eb, Bb, and F#? Or in the key of D, a Bb chord, which is correctly spelled in a sharp key with Bb and Fnat?
I carefully watch my harmonic spellings so that they are "correct" in the key (either the key signature or the "key of the moment" if I have momentarily modulated.) This means sometimes using double sharps or double flats in keys with a large key signature, though I sometimes respell to eliminate the double accidentals. When I do that, I change the entire chord, not just one or two notes, to the enharmonic. (for example, in the key of Ab major I might respell an Fb major chord so that it appears as an E major chord.)
For chromatically altered notes, they generally should be spelled to resolve in the direction of their alteration. So F# to G, but Gb to F, but not where that interferes with the correct spelling of the chord.
It is especially important with long note values, or mulit-voice parts like piano, so that the chord and the fingering can be recognized. I found this on the Internet (no attribution I could find) as the introduction to a 2-page guide on the subject. If you are interested, I could email you the whole doc as an attachment.
3 Principles:
I. Generally, tertian chords are spelled in 3rds from the root up. But the roots of ambiguous sounding chords (especially aug. triads and o7 chords) are sometimes controversial and, then, so are their spellings.
II. When not in conflict with Principle I, lines are spelled so that their conjunct sounding portions appear to follow the alphabet and their skips appear to outline chords.
III. When not in conflict with Principle I or II, chromatic notes most often proceed in the direction of their alteration, most often by step. This is especially true of the “sharpest” and “flattest” notes. (See paragraph 8.)
For jazz things get hairy, as tritone substitute dominant chords should be correctly spelled as if they were augmented sixth chords, e.g., in the key of C a Db7 chord would be spelled Db, F, Ab, B (not Cb). Many jazz musicians freely use enharmonic spellings, which means that those big chords haven't a chance in heck of ever being tuned properly.
But I am generally regarded as a freak by my colleagues.
Christopher
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