[Harp-L] Re: XB-40 and Jazz on diatonic

[bogio@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]

At 04:09 AM 12/11/2005, Ken K Kwok wrote:

> A writer complained that brand new golden CX-12 C- Hohner- won
> in recent jazz contest in Fla was not good-8 draw slide in-B#.
> There is no B# in music it is same as C.  I tried 8 draw slide
> in on my Hohner 12 Chromonica.  It works fine.   In the same way,
> there is no E# 3 blow.  It is F.

Actually, Ken, there are such notes as B# and E#, just as there are also 
Fb and Cb.  They are rare, however.  B# occurs in the C# diatonic scale, 
E# in the C# and F# scales, Fb in the Cb scale, and Cb in the Cb and Gb 
scales.

This is because the normal convention is to not duplicate a letter in 
constructing a scale.  That is, if the scale is C#, for instance, you 
would not include the C as well as C#, so to write the scale correctly, 
you change the C to B#.  The other scales follow this same logic.  Also, 
there is no duplication of a sharp note nor a flat note either; ie, you 
would not have two F#s or two Bbs.

Something else that might be of interest is that every scale with one or 
more sharp[s] in it contains F#, and Bb is contained every scale with one 
or more flat[s] in it.  F# and Bb are both pretty common.

Bobbie