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Somebody mentioned in another thread the key of H. This exists in Austria but I just don't understand. What exactly IS the key of H? As far as I am aware, the note and key names run from A to G# 
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Hi Sam, In German, H is B and B is Bb. Sometimes, out of respect for Johann Sebastian, composers use the BACH motif for composing: that is, BACH corresponds to the notes Bb A C B. Schumann and Liszt are a couple of notable guys who have used this motif in their works. I've seen other unusual terms on Bach albums too. Things like Cis moll (C# minor), G dur (G major), just to name a couple. If you're interested, take a look at the below link, you'll see some other interesting names. Musical keys in different languagesRegards, Noel
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Fascinating! But surely it creates some misunderstandings with, for example B/Bb?
Now I understand with the BACH explanation. But why is Bach so important? Why isn't MoZaRT important? Or HaNdeL? or BeethOVeN? (Letters capitalized to highlight that they are missing from the musical alphabet)
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Quote:
Fascinating! But surely it creates some misunderstandings with, for example B/Bb?
Only if you're not from a region where this nomenclature exists.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya  --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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No, Germany, Austria, some Nordic and some Central European countries - I don't know them all.
I first came across it when a chap asked for some modifications to a font suite I'd created for Noteworthy Composer.
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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I remember taking piano from my mom when I was a kid (she's Norwegian) and her telling me that I was playing something wrong, because I should be playing the "B" (meaning the Bb). I said I am playing the "B" (because I was playing the B-natural). She said no you're not, you're playing the "H". At that point, I think "H" stood for "Huh"?!?
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Sam,
Many years ago I read a book called "Music Notation: A Manual of Modern Practice" by Gardner Read. He'll answer all your questions! I stumbled across the book in our local library and it turned out to be an excellent, enjoyable read. I'd highly recommend it.
Regards,
Noel
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I made the original reference to the key of H, simple meaning that a person was singing in the cracks between keys. I was unaware that there was such a key.
I guess we learn something everyday on this forum.
Don S.
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Sam, H's development pre-dates Bach and came about from Guido D'Arezzo's method of teaching singing. D'Arezzo, an 11th century monk, used syllables from a Gregorian chant that corresponded to stepwise scale movement. His hexachord involved the syllables ut, re, mi, fa, sol, and la: D'Arezzo's method was very revolutionary in its day and proved to be very effective! (I guess it's easy to see what these syllables eventually became  ) D'Arezzo moved Ut, the tonic, to notes equivalent to our C, F or G depending on the pitch of the chant he wanted to teach. (This would be classed as a movable "Do" system today.) When considering the starting place of F, the 4th note (Fa) was Bb, but when G was the key note, the 3rd note was B. I seem to recall that this slight difference in sound for what theoretically (from an 11th century perspective) should have been the same note, led to H. I also seem to recall that this slight difference was thought of as "soft" (Bb) and "hard" (B) and that H developed from this. Regards, Noel
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Interesting, Noel. Thanks for the xplanation! Personally, I like the BACH idea - it makes it easy to remember to visualise a flat Bach! There is a Christmas parody song by Weird Al Yankovich 'Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer'. Maybe Bach got run over by a piano?
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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The designation gets even more confusing the day you are sitting in a Brass Choir and they call in a guest foreign conductor who pronounces it, "the key of Haitch".
And you're sitting there holding a Bb Trumpet, looking at a sheet that says, "Tromba in Re".
Can you transpose Bb Trumpet to Tromba in Re in the key of Haitch on the fly?
If the doggone sheet had been written for Tromba in Bb, then it would have been written to read in "our" Db.
Since the sheet was penned for D Trumpet, C on the sheet sounds as a Concert D so the on-the-fly transpose from C would be to think that the Haitch in D is a step down, or A. On the D Trumpet. On the Bb horn, that C becomes an E, two steps up.
Thank God it was mostly half notes.
20th Century Composers. Trying to do all that was not done before.
I think there was a good reason some of those things were never done before.
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Quote:
Maybe Bach got run over by a piano?
Maybe he did, Sam! Christofori invented the pianoforte in the early 1700s. JS Bach (1685 - 1750) hated it as a musical instrument. Bach was sure it would never catch on.
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see why i love this forum?
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You've a loooong way to go, kid 
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Quote:
In German, H is B and B is Bb. Sometimes, out of respect for Johann Sebastian, composers use the BACH motif for composing: that is, BACH corresponds to the notes Bb A C B. Schumann and Liszt are a couple of notable guys who have used this motif in their works.
Just looked it up in a german music theory text, the author does in fact write H for the key of B and B for the key of Bb. Talk about needless complication. (I've been wrong for many years, somehow I learned Bb = hes, which would make more sense...)
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Quote:
Fascinating! But surely it creates some misunderstandings ...
Ah no Sam, you must be thinking of playing with a bunch of French speaking guys who use the 'Sound of Music' notation.
Lets just take a quick look at this:
C = do
D = re
E = mi
F = fa
G = sol
A = la
B = si
...not to mention sharp and flat, which are of coure, diese and bémol
So when someone yells 'C' at you, you have to hit a B chord.
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 Though I thought B was ti?
Follow That Dream Sam Karaoke King -------------------- Turning that corner again - I have to keep following that dream, no matter what
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Quote:
Though I thought B was ti?
Only if you're thirsty enough to want a drink with your jam and bread... 
--=-- My credo: If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing - just ask my missus, she'll tell ya --=--You're only paranoid if you're wrong!
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