On Sep 20, 2007, at 10:14 PM, Ruth H. Randle wrote:
I have been given a handwritten piece of Klezmer music to
transcribe, called
Baym Rebn Sude. There are no chords, just a simple melody line. My
problem is
this: It has 1 sharp (F) and 2 flats (B and E)! I was told that a)
it is a very
simple piece, and b) the basic scale is D, Eb, F#, G, A, Bb, C and
D. (However,
there are some B naturals indicated). He said it was "sort of in
the key of D,
maybe?"
Is there any way to set this up in Finale so the key signature is
correct? I
know nothing about Klezmer music, and I've never seen a key sig
with sharps and
flats together. I am using Finale 2005 for Windows. Any help will
be greatly
appreciated. A basic template would be even better, if someone
knows how to do
it.
Thanks,
Ruth Randle
I've played (and written) a lot of Jewish music, and I HATE seeing
those stupid mixed key signatures. They are ALWAYS misread by someone
in the band, and nobody know what key they are actually in at any
given moment without a lot of extra brain work that could be better
spent on playing the music.
If you really want to do it, you can wrestle with non standard key
signatures in Finale, which I hear is a bit buggy.
I suggest, though, since the piece appears to be mostly in D fraygish
(as the jewish musicians I play with call it, kind of D phrygian with
a major third) that you use the closest key signature. In this case,
G minor key signature (since this G harmonic minor 5th mode) and mark
the F's with sharps when they appear, just as you would in G tonal
minor, even though the tonic is D. This would create the least
problems for the musicians, who are likely to be sight reading and
faking ornaments and accompaniments as they go.
I have rarely seen pieces in this key written with a D major key
signature, and all the Bb's and Eb's marked as accidentals. This is
less good, in my opinion.
The occasional B natural is not out of place at all in this style.
Just mark them properly, and all will be well.
Christopher
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