Relative Major/Minor Key Question.

[probablypike]

So I've been looking through the circle fifths section of my AB Guide To Music Theory, and got a little confused.

I was happy to start thinking about Db and C# as functionally the same key, but then there was a paragraph implying that there is a difference because C# has seven sharps and Db has five flats. Am I right in thinking this only makes a difference when reading music? In terms of listening (or playing without reading), they are relative keys and pretty much the same?

Also, would I also be correct in referring to the Ab key as the G# key as you would be for the note? (So the keys of Eb = D# and Bb = A# too?)

I'm sure I'm probably over-thinking something pretty simple here, but any pointer would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Pike

[leftybassman392]

Sounds like you are indeed overthinking it a bit. Standard procedure is to go one way for increasing sharps (C, G, D, A, E, B, F#), and the other way for increasing flats (C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab Db, Gb). They meet at F#/Gb. You [i]can[/i] go all the way round in a single direction but it's not common practice to do so as the notation starts to get a bit unwieldy whichever way you go

On the question of Db/C#:

(Db, Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, C) vs. (C#, D#, E#, F#, G#, A#, B#)

E#=F and B#=C (which is where the extra accidentals come from - it has to be done this way in the standard major scale as each note name can only appear once), but it's exactly the same set of notes and has been ever since the advent of Equal Temperament tuning.

The term for giving a single note different names (perfectly possible in music if you change key during a piece) is enharmonic change or enharmonic equivalence.

Hope this helps.

Edited January 28, 2016 by leftybassman392

[ras52]

Wot lefty said.

Also... you're talking about the naming of notes (in an equal-tempered universe). [b]Relative keys[/b] - as mentioned in the thread title - are something else altogether! (Perhaps to be saved for another thread to avoid any confusion here!)

BTW, Eric Taylor, the author of the [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]AB Guide To Music Theory, was my professor at uni![/font][/color]

[probablypike]

Ahhh great, okay. Thanks very much for clearing that up. It all makes more sense now.

I think looking at melodic minor scales might be my area of study. I'm guessing that'll help me out with relative keys too.

RE: Eric Taylor. That's really cool, that little pink book seems to be everyone's first recommendation. Where were you at uni then?