5 ms·
I would argue the difference is heard in music that broadly follows tonal harmony. Sure, the note it self sounds the same, but the difference is context. That c
by vcxy 4y ago
I would argue the difference is heard in music that broadly follows tonal harmony. Sure, the note it self sounds the same, but the difference is context. That context is there regardless of whether it is heard or seen.
Edit: just to add some detail: you can definitely hear if something sounds Lydian. If it sounds Lydian, you know that's a sharp 4, not a flat 5. Put it in C e.g., then it's an F# and not a Gb, and you can hear that.
- Aidevah 4y agoYes, exactly. A note is rarely found by itself, and looking at the context surrounding the note usually clears up the function of a note pretty quickly. Now that I think about it, the notation actually reduces ambiguity in this case since it specifies the function of notes which have the same sound.
- filoeleven 4y agoThe author frequently uses the term “same note” when the more accurate term in this context would be “same pitch.” Your comment and the next one up both clarify why having differently-named notes that use the same pitch matters. My favorite illustrstion of this is “Call Me A Hole”, a mashup where the vocal track of NIN’s “Head Like A Hole” is played atop the music track of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe.” A vocal performance that was originally seething with rage is transformed into a disco pop anthem, and the main reason it works is because “Call Me Maybe” was written in the relative major key to “Head Like A Hole.” The same vocal pitches—the whole melodic structure—functions entirely differently, with hilariously effective results. The mashup is an in-the-large example of the musical context you mention. D-sharp and E-flat is the same principle, just at a much more fine-grained scope. https://youtu.be/1lkuDm_g2ig https://youtu.be/1lkuDm_g2ig