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9-Jul-20 3:20

I don't. It's sad I know, esp considering I just delivered a MIDI library unto the world.

Anyway, I have a question for a music nerd, and it has to do with key signatures.

Googling led me to some confusion.

Basically I'm getting my key signature back as an int and a bool together, where the int is range -7 to 7 and the bool indicates minor or major.

The int indicates the number of flats (int is negative) or the number of sharps (int is positive) or C if it's 0.

Regarding the int, I'm not sure if I'm translating it correctly in code.

const string FLATS = "FBEADGC";
const string SHARPS = "GDEABFC";

if (0 == scode)
	return "C " + (IsMinor ? "minor" : "major");
if(0>scode)
	return FLATS[((-scode)-1)].ToString() + "b " + (IsMinor ? "minor" : "major"); 
else // if(0<scode)
	return SHARPS[(scode - 1)].ToString() + "# " + (IsMinor ? "minor" : "major");

scode is the aforementioned int.

Real programmers use butterflies

Greg Utas9-Jul-20 3:24

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9-Jul-20 3:24

The flat key signatures go F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb.
The sharp key signatures go G, D, A, E, B, F#, C#.
EDIT: That's major. No sharps/flats = C.

The minor flat key signatures go D, G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab.
The minor sharp key signatures go E, B, F#, C#, G#, D#, A#.
No sharps/flats = A.

But that's just major/minor. Then there's Dorian, Phrygian, and others. Laugh | :laugh:

modified 10-Jul-20 14:58pm.

honey the codewitch9-Jul-20 3:28

9-Jul-20 3:28

thanks!

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kalberts9-Jul-20 3:50

9-Jul-20 3:50

There is a strong tradition for denoting major scales with uppercase letters, and minor scales with lowercase letters. So,

The minor flat key signatures go d, g, c, f, bb, eb, ab.
The minor sharp key signatures go e, b, f#, c#, g#, d#, a#.
No sharps/flats = a.

Maybe this tradition is stronger in some musical styles than others. I have never seen guitar chord annotations where it is not followed.

Greg Utas9-Jul-20 3:57

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9-Jul-20 3:57

True. That's how I mark up scores, although the pop music charts I've seen use A and Am for major and minor chords, respectively.

jsc429-Jul-20 6:40

jsc42

9-Jul-20 6:40

I don't recall seeing lowercase for minor. I've only seen key signatures like A and Am. Even with minor keys there are two variant - Harmonic and Melodic.

To quote Ella Fitzgerald: How strange the change from Major to Minor (actually it is by Noel Coward, but mostly known as sang by Ella Fitzgerald)

Greg Utas9-Jul-20 6:42

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9-Jul-20 6:42

I think it's fairly common on the Continent (edit: for classical music).

honey the codewitch9-Jul-20 4:20

9-Jul-20 4:20

I'll probably avoid that in my MIDI library because of things like "bb" looking confusing and my hesitancy to use a unicode flat character in the alternative that won't display on things like a console window. "Bb" is much clearer in my specific scenario, IMO, even if it defies convention.

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kalberts9-Jul-20 4:47

9-Jul-20 4:47

Or learn German (or a related language, such as Norwegian): In the Germanic tradition, B is called H, and B flat is called B.

In any case, it will be less confusing if you use a true musical ♭ sign for the flats, rather than a plain lowercase b letter. B♭ and b♭ isn't that confusing.

Bonus joke: What could you get if you drop a piano down a mine shaft?
Answer: a♭

Greg Utas9-Jul-20 4:57

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9-Jul-20 4:57

I thought you'd get a fff!

kalberts9-Jul-20 7:46

9-Jul-20 7:46

I guess that even a piano would turn into a forte, or forte fortissimo molto, so you for practical purposes you are right.
You could also point out the accelerando - close to 9.8 m/s2.

But we were talking scales, weren't we?

Greg Utas9-Jul-20 10:32

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9-Jul-20 10:32

Accelerando? Laugh | :laugh:

honey the codewitch9-Jul-20 6:19

9-Jul-20 6:19

heh. I would use the flat sign but it doesn't render properly everywhere. I do not want to return it from ToString()

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Jim Kolb10-Jul-20 5:39

Jim Kolb

10-Jul-20 5:39

What could you get if you drop a piano down a mine shaft?

ab minor (miner)

kalberts10-Jul-20 8:14

10-Jul-20 8:14

or to make it more explicit: A flat minor (/miner)

Greg Utas9-Jul-20 4:54

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9-Jul-20 4:54

I just realized this is probably regional. Maybe you do it that way in Norway.

I have some Le Orme sheet music, and those weird Italians don't write A minor as "a" or "Am". They actually write "La m" (La from do-re-mi... and m = minore). I rarely think in solfege. And if I do, it's relative: "la" = submediant (^6). But they use it absolutely: "la" = A, regardless of the key. Needless to say, I find their annotations useless.

giulicard10-Jul-20 0:33

giulicard

10-Jul-20 0:33

Accelerando - Conjugation of the infinite "Accelerare" in italian; In English, "to accelerate": The "Gerundio" (a form of the verb), is like the -ing in English.

Most of the musical notation currently used was invented in Italy many centuries ago (even the pentagram, for example). In Italy the musical notes are represented by syllables which traditionally are: DO, RE, MI, FA, SOL, LA, SI with LA to be the equivalent to A in international notation.

All words like crescendo, diminuendo, piano, pianissimo, etc. etc. they are Italian words used as an international jargon for the music.

kalberts9-Jul-20 23:20

9-Jul-20 23:20

I wouldn't call it "international jargon for the music", but "established notational conventions".
You'll see acc. in all sorts of sheet music. It has been used for centuries.

We had a conductor that took pleasure in playing with such terms, like he could ask for an "accelerandissimo" - a small increase in the beat rate. Or "acelerando moltissimo", not a very strong accelerando (like an "accelerando molto") but above average.