a circle of fifths column orders like this:
C - 0 sharps or flats
G - 1#
D - 2#s
A - 3#s
E - 4#s
B/Cb - 5#s/7bs
F#/Gb - 6#s/6bs
C#/Db - 7#s/5bs
Ab - 4bs
Eb - 3bs
Bb - 2bs
F - 1b
[C]
seriously clearer than ordering by semitone. Note that at ~180º the enharmonics all add up to 12. Which is why there is no G# which doesn't add up; its 7th note cancels the first sharp. There is no 8#s/4bs etc.
G# Melodic minor, you've run into the comparatively exotic F double sharp, same as in G# major which I omit from the circle as it doesn't comport with key signatures. I mean we can write that but the no first sharp as normally ordered is a bit out-of-joint or something. G# plain minor is only 5 sharps, so the one accidental is not quite the same problem as G# major.
side note: I advise against making "major" and "Ionian" the very same thing, as they are two things. Major indicates a leading tone at 7 and major key. Ionian is a mode, which means it's a different thing than major key. IE: the ^7 is free to not be the functional leading tone/3rd of the V harmony in the key.
There is for instance Indian Classical Music that uses the same 7 notes as major but the 7 is not a leading tone, it's not part of the thought. Bilaval Thaat is the parent to ragas. Sometimes it gets called 'in Western key' which is a misnomer.
Watermelon in Easter Hay by Frank Zappa is primarily E Ionian: the first note of the thing, and of the main melody is D# but over an A chord, that moves down to B (over the E chord); in no case does it work like it does in major key, behaving modally, more like ICM than not. (Modal playing doesn't need all the chords typical of western concert ("classical") music.)
Aeolian is the same 7 as natural minor oc, which doesn't quite function; so to my mind may as well be the same thing; it's 'minor key' if the leading tone is involved, in my assessment.
C - 0 sharps or flats
G - 1#
D - 2#s
A - 3#s
E - 4#s
B/Cb - 5#s/7bs
F#/Gb - 6#s/6bs
C#/Db - 7#s/5bs
Ab - 4bs
Eb - 3bs
Bb - 2bs
F - 1b
[C]
seriously clearer than ordering by semitone. Note that at ~180º the enharmonics all add up to 12. Which is why there is no G# which doesn't add up; its 7th note cancels the first sharp. There is no 8#s/4bs etc.
G# Melodic minor, you've run into the comparatively exotic F double sharp, same as in G# major which I omit from the circle as it doesn't comport with key signatures. I mean we can write that but the no first sharp as normally ordered is a bit out-of-joint or something. G# plain minor is only 5 sharps, so the one accidental is not quite the same problem as G# major.
side note: I advise against making "major" and "Ionian" the very same thing, as they are two things. Major indicates a leading tone at 7 and major key. Ionian is a mode, which means it's a different thing than major key. IE: the ^7 is free to not be the functional leading tone/3rd of the V harmony in the key.
There is for instance Indian Classical Music that uses the same 7 notes as major but the 7 is not a leading tone, it's not part of the thought. Bilaval Thaat is the parent to ragas. Sometimes it gets called 'in Western key' which is a misnomer.
Watermelon in Easter Hay by Frank Zappa is primarily E Ionian: the first note of the thing, and of the main melody is D# but over an A chord, that moves down to B (over the E chord); in no case does it work like it does in major key, behaving modally, more like ICM than not. (Modal playing doesn't need all the chords typical of western concert ("classical") music.)
Aeolian is the same 7 as natural minor oc, which doesn't quite function; so to my mind may as well be the same thing; it's 'minor key' if the leading tone is involved, in my assessment.
Statistics: Posted by jancivil — Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:07 pm