Enharmonic
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but “spelled”, or named differently. Thus, the enharmonic spelling of a written note, interval, or chord is an alternative w…
in Traditional Notation Notes that sound the same and are played the same appear at different vertical positions on the staff. Including double sharps, double flats: (7 diatonic notes) x (5 variants) = 35 notes per octave With only sharps, flats, naturals: (7 diatonic notes) x (3 variants) = 21 notes per octave
What is an enharmonic equivalent?
Although it sounds quite complicated, enharmonic essentially is an ‘alternate name for the same thing’. For example, you could have a note like C# but you could also call this note Db. They are the same note but have different names and so are enharmonic equivalents.
What are enharmonic notes on a piano?
Both of these notes refer to the same exact note on a piano, but choosing the best name, or enharmonic, makes the music easier to read and understand. Choosing the wrong enharmonic can make things very confusing, and makes life harder for a musician who is trying to read notes on the fly.
How many possible enharmonics does each note have?
The chart shows us that each note ends up with 3 possible enharmonics, with the exception of G#/Ab which only has two possibilities. Finally, here’s a keyboard chart that displays the same information in a more visual way:
What is the enharmonic equivalent scale of Gb major?
For example, if we take the scale Gb major which has the notes: Gb – Ab – Bb – Cb – Db – Eb – F The enharmonic equivalent scale would be F# major which has the same notes but spelt differently: F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E#
How do you find the enharmonic equivalent?
When two notes sound the same but are written as two different notes on the staff, the written notes are said to be enharmonic . Notes on the white keys of the piano can be written enharmonically as well ( C = B , E = F , D = C 𝄪 , etc.).
What is the enharmonic equivalent to B?
C♭ majorFor example, the key of B major, with five sharps, is enharmonically equivalent to the key of C♭ major with seven flats, so that gives five (sharps) + seven (flats) = 12. Keys past seven sharps or seven flats exist only theoretically and not in practice.
What is an enharmonic equivalent of C?
Enharmonic scaleNoteRatioCentsC1:10D♭256:24390.225C♯2187:2048113.685D9:8203.91014 more rows
What is the enharmonic of F#?
Enharmonic Equivalents We know that F sharp is one semitone (half step) higher than F (natural). But we also know that it’s one semitone lower than G natural, so we could also call the note G flat. An enharmonic equivalent is simply another way to “spell” the same note. F sharp and G flat are “enharmonic equivalents”.
What is the enharmonic note of key D?
For example, the note in between D natural and E natural can be named either D sharp or E flat. These two names look very different on the staff, but they are going to sound exactly the same, since you play both of them by pressing the same black key on the piano. This is an example of enharmonic spelling.
What is the enharmonic equivalent of B double sharp?
You could also call it B double sharp, all are correct but it depends on what context you’re playing the note. When you have notes like this that are the same but with different names they are called enharmonic equivalents. Whether you’d call it D flat, C sharp or B double sharp depends on what key you’re in.
What is the enharmonic tonic major of B minor?
C-flat majorIts relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its enharmonic equivalent is C-flat major.
What scales are enharmonic?
One Scale, Two Names When scales are identical in this way, they’re known as enharmonic equivalents. This means that these scales are really just one scale going by two different names. Notes and chords also have enharmonic equivalents. Technically (but not practically), each can go by an infinite amount of names.
What is an enharmonic?
Although it sounds quite complicated, enharmonic essentially is an ‘alternate name for the same thing’. For example, you could have a note like C# but you could also call this note Db. They are the same note but have different names and so are enharmonic equivalents.
What is an enharmonic interval?
An enharmonic interval is two notes that are the same distance apart but spelt differently. For example let’s take the two notes C and E which is a major 3rd.
What is the equivalent scale of F#?
The enharmonic equivalent scale would be F# major which has the same notes but spelt differently: F# – G# – A# – B – C# – D# – E#
What is it called when you have notes like this that are the same but with different names?
When you have notes like this that are the same but with different names they are called enharmonic equivalents.
How many flats are in the key of AB?
For example, if we were in the key of Ab then we’d call this note Db as Ab has four flats in its key signature: Bb, Eb, Ab and Db.
Can you have enharmonic equivalent scales?
As well as enharmonic equivalent notes you can have enharmonic equivalent scales and they work in exactly the same way.
Is it confusing to see notes, scales, keys and intervals?
It can seem a bit confusing and overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of seeing notes, scales, keys and intervals as being more than one thing it should start to sink in.
How to find enharmonic equivalents?
A good way to find enharmonic equivalents of notes or keys is to use or make a reference chart. For example, enharmonic keys include C# major and Db major, F# major and Gb major, B major and Cb major, D# minor and Eb minor, G# minor and Ab minor, and A# minor and Bb minor. Remember that two enharmonic notes will sound the same, and correspond to the same key on the piano, but have two different names. These are pairs of enharmonic notes:
What is an Enharmonic Scale?
An enharmonic scale is a respelling of a scale using different note names to designate the same pitches. The two scales sound alike and are played by using the same keys on the piano because they use the same pitches. For example, all the pitches of the C-sharp major scale can be respelled to form the D-flat major scale:
What chord is respelled in three other ways to show it can resolve to other chords?
A B diminished seventh chord respelled in three other ways to show it can resolve to other chords.
Why do we use enharmonics in music?
Enharmonic spellings can be used to make music easier to read. Enharmonic equivalents also allow musicians to understand how one chord can have a different function in another key.
What is a diminished seventh chord?
A diminished seventh chord is used to modulate to another key.
What are the enharmonically equivalent keys?
Other enharmonically equivalent keys are C# major and Db major, F# major and Gb major, D# minor and Eb minor, G# minor and Ab minor, and A# minor and Bb minor.
How many sharps are in a B major key?
Just as individual notes can be respelled, entire keys can also be respelled. Consider the key signatures for B major and Cb major. The key signature of B major has 5 sharps. The key signature of Cb major has 7 flats. At first glance, those key signatures do not appear to be related. However, when the scales of these two keys are spelled out, it becomes clear that they are enharmonic equivalents:
How do you find enharmonic equivalents?
Finding enharmonic equivalents is relatively easy, especially when you are using a piano.
Why is understanding enharmonic equivalents important?
Understanding enharmonic equivalents is a great way to get started with basic music theory because of its simplicity.
What Are The Different Types of Enharmonic Equivalents in Music?
There are more enharmonic equivalents beyond simple notes. As you begin writing songs, you will run across enharmonic equivalents in almost all aspects of your music.
What key signature introduces a double sharp in two of the scale notes?
For example, Eb Major’s enharmonic equivalent key signature, which is D# Major, introduces a double sharp in two of the scale notes.
What is the augmented fourth in C Major?
In C Major, the augmented fourth (F#) is the same interval difference as the diminished fifth (Gb).
What notes are in the Gb Major scale?
You will never have a critical signature that omits one of these notes. So, for example, the notes in the Gb Major scale would be Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb, Db, Eb, F.
How many notes are in a western music scale?
However, some of these key signatures can get quite complicated if you choose one key over the other. As stated earlier, the western music scale has seven notes that are used in every scale. To keep this music theory intact, you will be introduced to double flats and double sharps.
What is an enharmonic note?
An enharmonic is simply an alternate name for the same note. For instance, C# is the enharmonic of Db (and vice versa). One note, multiple names. That’s the concept in a nutshell.
How many enharmonics does each note have?
The chart shows us that each note ends up with 3 possible enharmonics, with the exception of G#/Ab which only has two possibilities.
Why is it important to know the enharmonic note on a piano?
Both of these notes refer to the same exact note on a piano, but choosing the best name, or enharmonic, makes the music easier to read and understand. Choosing the wrong enharmonic can make things very confusing, and makes life harder for a musician who is trying to read notes on the fly. He/she will probably have to stop for a moment when they reach the incorrectly spelled note before they realize what the intended note was.
How many names does Ab/G# have?
Not every note necessarily has all of these name types; these are just all the possible types of names. In fact, all the notes except for Ab/G# have just 3 possible names (Ab/G# just has 2).
How many different names for notes?
Similarly, when it comes to music notes, there are five possible name types for any given note:
Does B double sharp work?
What do we have to do to B to adjust it to the note C#? One glance at the keyboard tells us that we would have to raise it twice, and call it B double sharp. So yes, this does work; B double sharp is another enharmonic for C#/Db.
Is B# a good name for C?
Raise it by a half-step, B#. So yes, B ♯ is another valid name for C, because C is a half-step higher than B. B♯ is C’s sharp name. So far we have derived three possible names for the note we normally call C: C, Dbb, and B#.
What is an enharmonic equivalent?
Theory. In a nutshell, the term enharmonic equivalent means notes that sound the same as one another but are named or “spelled” differently (and this concept can also be extended to include intervals and scales).
Why are the keys on a guitar called enharmonic equivalents?
These notes are called enharmonic equivalents because they sound the same—indeed they are the same note —they just go by different names depending on the situation.
How many notes are in the musical alphabet?
The musical alphabet consists of seven main notes represented by seven letters: A-B-C-D-E-F-G. However, you might be aware that there are twelve possible notes (half steps) in an octave. For example on the guitar, you reach “E” again on the low (or high) E string once you get to the 12th fret. On the piano, you can count 12 keys if you play every key from A to A, C to C, or any other octave for that matter. Adjacent frets are half steps, and so are adjacent keys on a piano.
Why is it easier to sharpen notes?
Generally, if we are moving up a scale or melody, it is easier to think of sharpening notes because you simply move up from a note you are already on. Similarly, if we are moving in a downward direction it is often easier to think of some note as being flattened. You will still arrive on the correct note, but it sometimes is easier for our brains to process them this way.
What does it mean to sharpen a note?
To “sharpen” a note means to raise it one half step— so A# is one half step above A. It is the note between A and B. Similarly, to “flatten” a note means to lower it by one half step—so Bb is one half step below B. Here is where we reach the topic of enharmonic equivalents.
Why do we have two different names for the notes?
Sounds confusing, but here’s an example. In the key of G major, our notes are G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G. We name the seventh note F# because if we named it Gb, we would have two different types of G (G and Gb), and that is a no-no. We want only one kind of each note (by kind I mean natural, sharp or flat) to keep things organized and logical. As is always the case in music, there are exceptions, but this convention should be observed whenever possible.
Is a note sharpened or flattened?
That being said, it is sometimes easier to think of a note as being the sharpened version of some note as opposed to the flattened version of another (and vice versa), even if it is not notated as such.
Enharmonic Equivalents in Traditional Notation and on Chromatic Staves
The Case For Distinguishing Between Enharmonic Equivalents
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The argument for visually distinguishing between enharmonically equivalent notes asserts that they are not completely equivalent or interchangeable. In this view, important musical information would be lost if notes like C# and Db were notated in the same way, collapsing the distinction between them. Twelve notes per octave are not enough; twenty-one notes per octave are neede…
Various Approaches
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There are at least three different approaches to the representation of enharmonic equivalents in chromatic staff notation systems: 1. Not Explicitly Differentiating Between Enharmonic Equivalents …while assuming twelve-tone equal temperament for intonation and/or relying on contextual cues and conventions for harmonic/melodic function and intonation. 2. Using an Alte…
What Does Enharmonic Mean?
Types of Enharmonic Equivalents
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There are actually lots of different types of enharmonic equivalents. You can have enharmonic equivalent: 1. Notes 2. Scales 3. Chords 4. Keys 5. Intervals We’ll go into some examples now to explain how they work.
See more on hellomusictheory.com
Wrapping Up Enharmonic Equivalents
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I hope that helps make a bit more sense of enharmonic equivalents. It can seem a bit confusing and overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of seeing notes, scales, keys and intervals as being more than one thing it should start to sink in. If you have any questions that I haven’t covered in this post just comment below.