Re: 12th position = 1st Flat Position

["Winslow Yerxa" <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

- --- In harp-l-archives@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "G." <gigs@xxxx> wrote:

<quote Steve said in glorious technicolor(tm) HTML, trimmed for 
readabilitity>
Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 12:24:40 EDT
From: Slidelicks@xxxx
Subject: Re: 12th position = 1st Flat Position

F minor is not the relative minor of A Major

F# minor is the relative minor of A Major.

>First Flat is a good term for F minor on a C Harp because postition 
>refers to the root note (F) of the scale, not it's quality (Major or 
>Minor)

This is faulty logic.

It is true that position refers to the root note.

However, it is not true that the number of flats in the term "first 
flat" refers either to a single root note or to a root note that is 
free of major or minor qualities.

First flat refers to the key signature of one flat. The key signature 
of one flat is used for either F major or D minor. F minor is four 
flats, not one.

You see why using flats is a poor (though convenient) fit for 
describing a realtionship between key of instrument and key of tune 
that is exclusive to a single tonal center (which a key signature is 
not) and does not denote any particular mode (while a key signature 
does).

Winslow