[Harp-L] Re: Why is C not called A? - Correction -

[Snaruhn@xxxxxxx]

Hi,

a lot was written about this question of a harp student and I too
thought it to be a good idea to point to the obvious alphabetical 
order of the generally quoted notation C D E F G A B 
(German: c d e f g h).

Quite right, this question has nothing to do with musical theory as
Vern correctly mentioned but is a more linguistic problem. So, I
thoroughly thought over this matter once again because the 
language is one of my "weak points" as a few know.       

Well, I think that the whole discussion about the original subject
went the wrong way and I assume that almost all of our studied 
harp artists immediately had the same idea I got not until the 
"second attempt".  

All comments dealing with the question "why not A but C?" took
the staff scale C major as the basis being the starting point when
describing the musical order of notes or sounds. 

However, IMHO, that is or was the reason why we can talk endless 
about the naming of a note as C instead of A without getting a 
satisfying answer. This "problem" is absolutely silly as such when 
only considering the starting note of any scale. 

For instance, A major starts with A and the next note is B, 
notwithstanding that the scale has 3 #s. So, in case of A major
the alphabetical order of the notes was perfect and the question why
C and not A would then been solved.

However, I´m aware of the next objection. In order to declare the 
subject to be superfluous it should then be best not to take C 
but A major as the staff scale - with all consequences, of course.

May be, but only the wind knows why the musical alphabet starts
with C and Vern`s question < why is the wind called the wind > is
simultaneously the "answer" why things are named as the they
are named.

Hoping that nobody thinks Harpie came up with that,

Siegfried