Eric Forgeot wrote: > I think that the transcriber wanted to help people like me reading > "D key ? oh, so there is 2 sharps in it".
But then, why not write K:Edorian % 2 sharps instead of K:D % Edorian > If I read EDorian I have to find my table with all the modes, find > the right one, and then the number of accidentals etc. The problem isn't that big, is it? In Irish music there are quite few (11) common combinations of mode and final: G, D, A, Edor, Ador, Ddor, Dmix, Amix, Gmix, Em, Bm And a few (9) less common: C, F, E, Gdor, Bdor, Emix, Am, Dm, F#m There are fewer combinations for which to remember the number of sharps and flats in these than for the number of sharps and flats in the usual classical keys, which are combinations of two modes and twelve finals, 24 in all: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db Am, Em, Bm, F#m, C#m, G#m, D#m, Dm, Gm, Cm, Fm, Bbm You only have to reduce the number of possible finals to about 8 and instead increase the number of modes from 2 to 4, but not all combinations are used. I find it harder to remember the number of sharps and flats in the more unusual classical keys than in the usual modes for Irish music. If someone says C#m I have to start counting... If someone says Gmix I know it by heart. > Isn't the problem for mode instead ? We have the right key, but > the right mode is after the % This is a confusion of key and mode. If, as in the original example, we have K:D %Edorian we don't have the right key! The right key is *not* D, it is "two sharps" or "f# c#" to be more precise. D means that the final (or tonal centre or whatever you want to call it) of the tune is the note D and the mode is ionian or major (which is the most common mode in western European music and therefore the default mode). They actually teach you wrong at school... Getting back to the abc, I would prefer to have the notation K:^f ^c to K:D because it simply means what it says and does not imply anything else. Then you're free to place whatever you like in a comment afterwards K:^f^c % "Irish" e minor Henrik Norbeck, Stockholm, Sweden [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.swipnet.se/hnorbeck/ My home page http://home.swipnet.se/hnorbeck/abcmus/ Abcmus ABC program http://home.swipnet.se/hnorbeck/abc.htm >1000 abc tunes http://surf.to/blackthorn Irish trad music band http://www.rfod.se/folklink/ Links to Swedish music To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
