Sharps or Flats?

[dagobert]

It doesn't really matter to me.

[harmonics101]

I'm a big Au Naturale sort of a guy,

H

[cotten]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

...different musical keys seem to have distinct characteristics and create specific moods.

See/listen to: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tw55v

Yes, classical composers often "see" keys as differet colors, colors that elicit different moods in their listeners.

I asked about sharps and flats among another group of friends, and they came up with some good answers. Here are some.

1. I'm a pianist--either is fine with me. However, my favorite key to play in is Db.
2. Pianist and guitarist for worship songs, so lots of G, E, D, A, and B.
3. I care about the range, but can play in the five guitar keys (C-A-G-E-D) and their relative minors fluently. Capos allow me to adjust to the range of the singers/audience. I also use capos to move me to a new range (as a guitarist) so I'm playing in a different apparent key than the other guitarists (which creates different inversions).
4. I know a number of other instrumentalists, even vocalists, who are envious of a guitarist's capo!
5. This brass player preferred flats.
6. "Concussionists".....LOL!
7. Flats. But that probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was taught early on to transpose all sharps (beyond 1) into flats. I can't be sure but it was during the years when I was playing with wind instruments and someone (I think) said we needed to do this for their benefit.
8. I was a college sophomore, in my very first paid music ministry position. Flora Baptist Church, near Jackson, Mississippi. One of my first Sundays, the Organist introduced a hymn written in E Major, transposing it to Eb. When the Pianist entered, it was painfully obvious that she didn't. Both being fine musicians, they each instantly changed! I stopped the service, laughing so hard I could hardly quote "How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity."
9. Brass players learn flat keys before most of the sharp keys. They are usually fluent in concert Bb, Eb, Ab, Db pretty early on. Sharp keys come in year two or so, but only 2-4, depending upon how the director or teacher pushes them in year 2. The valve combinations/slide combinations are more complex in sharp keys.
10. Flats on keys, sharps on guitar. Since I am primarily a guitarist, I think I tend to think more in sharps. But am not entirely sure about this!
11. Brass players do like sharps...Because we are "sharp"....Just sayin'...
12. Personally I like "the people's key" ! But then again I always use a capo or alternate tunings and pretty much just play by ear! I do love a good tab cheat sheet though! (Gee, what key is that?)
13. Flats. Easier to read and figure out. I always had to think too long on the sharps.
14. Low brass doesn't like sharps! They're the devil!
15. Early on I preferred flats... However, by the time I got my degree, I was fluent in multiple sharp keys and enjoyed them more. I prefer sharps after 53 years on the trumpet.
16. I'm pretty well versed at singing sharp on the flats and flat on the sharps. (Equal Opportunity Offender!)
17. No preference. a sharp is just a flat in reverse Honestly, I was a choir director before I know anyone ever had a problem with sharps or flats. (If you Reverse over A Sharp your car could get A Flat.)
18. I'm good to go with my cap-o.
19. I preferred flats in early years, but that quickly changed in later high school/college. I played Ravel's "Sonatine" (movements 1,2,3) for my college senior piano recital. No more fear of sharps!
20. John Innes once told me, " there are no difficult keys: only keys you haven't practiced enough "! Ouch.... (We have a winner!
21. Why limit yourself to just "Flats" and "Sharps"? Why not explore all the spaces in-between?
    
    
    
    cotten

[cotten]

This shirt B sharp!



cotten

[muscmp]

john: in a way, i don't think it matters. if i say to someone, play a C#, if they know how to get to a C#, they'll probably know it can be a Db. i've had that happen before, so that is why i am presenting it this way. i told the other guitarist C# and he afterward told me that he recognized it as Db.

you should set this up as a poll and add my, "it doesn't matter" to the poll.

play music!

[flaggerphil]

There are sharps AND flats?????

[cotten]

Originally Posted by muscmp

...you should set this up as a poll and add my, "it doesn't matter" to the poll...

I agree, so much so that I didn't even make it an official poll where we vote for one or the other, but rather just posted our comments. I play handbells. A bell doesn't care what you call it. It just goes about its business either way. A couple of them told me that they can get a little irked sometimes at being called a double sharp or flat, but you know how those musical types can be.

cotten

[Glennwillow]

As a guitar player, most keys that we use have sharps in them. But one of our favorite chords, F, has a flat.

My 41-year-old son told me a funny story about going to "A# Music" once over in the Seattle area with his band's drummer. I don't think a rock drummer tends to think in terms of sharps and flats. He referred to the music store as "A-Number Music."

- Glenn

[LSemmens]

It doesn't really matter, the Church band I played in in Darwin tended to hover around F occasionally throwing an Eb into the mix, most of the singers were of Aboriginal descent and had lower voices so just about everything was a minor third lower than original key anyway. Now, the Church band I am playing in tends to do everything in the original keys, so far, C#m F# Ab and Bb are the most "popular" keys. After 40 years of playing guitar I'm actually starting to appreciate the humble capo! If only to give my Barring finger a rest.

[rogthefrog]

Originally Posted by cotten

Sharps or Flats? I think it would be interesting to have musicians vote on which they prefer, sharps or flats. Pianists probably prefer flats. Brass players likely prefer sharps. We guitarists don't really care - we only know 5 chords and have our trusty capos. Concussionists are too busy drumming on nearby flat surfaces to hear the question. Which do you prefer, and why?

cotten

It's not a matter of preference. They have a function. Bb major has 2 flats (Bb and Eb). Sure, those are enharmonically A# and D#, but functionally that's not what they are.

[fazool]

I prefer sharps because music theory class for me only went clockwise

[cotten]

Originally Posted by rogthefrog

It's not a matter of preference. They have a function...

Of course both sharps and flats have a function. You are absolutely correct. The question here, though, is if someone has a preference for keys using sharps or flats, and if so, why. Last Summer, I had a 14-yr. old in my theory class at music camp tell me that she prefers the hashtag keys. (She was just being cute, she knew they were sharps. She was a violinist, and prefered her "hashtag" keys.)

cotten

[The Growler]

Originally Posted by cotten

This shirt B sharp!



cotten

Cotten - where did you find this?

Thanks

[jpd]

Originally Posted by cotten

Sharps or Flats? I think it would be interesting to have musicians vote on which they prefer, sharps or flats. We guitarists don't really care - Which do you prefer, and why?

cotten

My bias is from my youth playing strings in orchestras. Familiarity with sharps seemed more natural than flats...depending on the signature and the instrument being played.
Now playing keyboards and acoustics, I find sharps as the most easily recognized with guitar...while with keyboards it doesn't matter.
So which do I prefer?....I'll lean towards sharps

[KevWind]

Sharps



Flats




I likes em both