[Harp-L] Enharmonics

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Iceman writes:

"a Cb sounds exactly like a B - it is the same "audio frequency" -  
vibrates
at the same cyles/second. "


Only in a temperament which has the two notes as enharmonics.  That  
would be 12TET or other limited-set temperaments.  In other systems  
(including the various non-equal intonations used for diatonic  
harmonicas) Cb and B are distinct musical notes with different  
values.  Very close, but not the same.   This is somewhat semantics,  
but it is also accurate and gets to this point:

Iceman:
"Not talking harmonica, but MUSIC here. Time for harmonica players  
to  upgrade
towards musicianship in their knowledge and discussions, me  thinks."


While I'm not sure I care (people are going to take their music  
theory to the level they desire and need, and I'm fine with that), I  
agree in general that knowledge is good.  And a very simple thing  
which everyone can remember is that enharmonic notes (Cb/B, C#/Db, E#/ 
F, G#/Ab, etc...) only exist in temperaments or intonations with a  
fixed number of notes per octave.  Thus, Cb and B are only the same  
for systems where the two cannot both exist.  For a pianist or  
organist with only twelve keys per octave, they will be the same.   
For a violinist with infinite divisions of a string, they are not the  
same.  The harmonica comes somewhere in-between (on a single  
harmonica they are likely to be the same, but they may not be the  
same note on different key harmonicas--as Tim correctly pointed out).




 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()
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