Display chord as C# not Db - PG Music Forums

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Hi Forum
I am not able to change the display of some chords from Dbm7 to C#m7. The song (Crusaders Street Life) is mostly in Ab but a lot of local II-V's occur.
I changed the key locally to B with the F5 key for the particular measure and entered the chords again. Tried with the chord builder. No success. The notation with sharps and flats behave OK. Not the chord display.
Is it possible to force the enharmonic display?
Br Kamilu

Are you entering in concert key, or Bb or Eb?

What version of BIAB is this?

Doesn't it center around what your root is? If you are in a sharp key you get sharps. If you are in a flat key you get flats.

Just write everything in C!! You get NO sharps or flats!!!

Worked for Irving Berlin!

I can type Dbm7 and C#m7 in the same bar. The only two you can't write in are FbMaj7 and CbMaj7. BIAB will change them to EMaj7 and BMaj7. I have BIAB 2012.5 Don't change the key. Keep Ab. I can type in every chord in "Street Life" except Fb and Cb. I'd just as soon read BMaj7 rather than CbMaj7 and EMaj7 than FbMaj7. Later, Ray

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Doesn't it center around what your root is? If you are in a sharp key you get sharps. If you are in a flat key you get flats.

Just write everything in C!! You get NO sharps or flats!!!

Worked for Irving Berlin!

Berlin was a "Black Key Pianist" -- his key was Gb (F#)...

He also purchased a specially built upright piano for his place that had a Shift on it that would move the hammers from side to side, matching them up with the F# to any of the other keys, so that he could accompany singers, etc. and be able to play in their chosen key signatures while still thinking in F#. This long before the advent or idea of MIDI, the whole thing was a mechanical transposer.

--Mac

Yes, I should have been more informative

BIAB version: 2010.5

What I did:
Starting from scratch I set the main key to Ab in order to make it easier to enter melody with the proper accidents, with a mouse. The commercially available sheet music indicates key of Ab (4 b's)
When I reached the bars where the key temporarily changes to B, I set that key change via F5 and entered C3m7. BIAB changes this to Dbm7.

Based on you replies, I did a test starting with the overall key as C but BIAB still wants to change the displayed chord toDbm7.

It is not a major issue as the main purpose is to practise improvisation over the chords and the chords sound the same any way, but if I only could control that little detail also...

Is there an Opt. - Preferences setting I have overlooked? Or am I running a too old version?

Br Kamilu

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Berlin was a "Black Key Pianist" -- his key was Gb (F#)...

Maybe everything after White Christmas was, but the original White Christmas was in C.

One of my favorite mentions of him was on a Live From Daryl's House episode when Daryl Hall said that they used to get late night studio time because it was cheaper and they would be around at all kind of strange hours. Irving would call his label EVERY DAY to ask how much money he made that day in royalties. That just made me roar when I read that.

Hey, God Bless America!!!

Izzy Berlin could only play and compose in the key of F#.

He would hire someone to transcribe the piece properly onto paper -- and also to put the key where the accomp;lished musician/arranger thought it would work best. White Christmas is one of those. Well, they ALL were:

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The determined composer became respected in the music world despite never having learned how to read music or play the piano properly. During the years when he should have been in school, he was busy surviving on the streets any way he could. Nevertheless, he plunked out tunes on the piano and wrote the lyrics. Then he would engage an assistant to transcribe the musical notation and arrangements into proper form. Berlin only knew how to play the black keys (the key of F#) on his piano; he compensated by using a special transposing piano with a lever that mechanically changed the key signature and, consequently, the vocal range of the song.

source: http://www.historynet.com/irving-berlin.htm

--Mac

I'll stop replying to you now. You are one of those losers who isn't happy if he doesn't get the last word. I was married to a woman like you.

Bye, Mac.

And ANOTHER user goes on ignore!! I think that's 9 now. The ones constantly using this place to jam their products down our throats, the ones who try to convince me that I must listen to their preferred music... the list goes on.

Yep. I checked. 9!

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I'll stop replying to you now. You are one of those losers who isn't happy if he doesn't get the last word. I was married to a woman like you.

Bye, Mac.

Eddie, why would you ignore someone who has proven that he is right?

Mac and I have exchanged words in the past but I still hold him in the highest regard! He does know his stuff and he can prove it.

If this pisses you off you can make me #10!

Kamilu, you need to go through the manual. I can enter "Street Life" just like the sheet music, with the exception of the CbMaj7 chord. That chord will read as BMaj7. All the Cbs will read as B. There's no need to change keys at all. Leave the key signature of Ab there. If you're having trouble entering sharps or flats, please refer to the manual. Your version of BIAB is not too old to do this. Later, Ray

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I'll stop replying to you now. You are one of those losers who isn't happy if he doesn't get the last word. I was married to a woman like you.

Bye, Mac.

Eddie, why would you ignore someone who has proven that he is right?

Mac and I have exchanged words in the past but I still hold him in the highest regard! He does know his stuff and he can prove it.

If this pisses you off you can make me #10!

10 it is.

I'm on version 2011 and have no problem with entering the C#m7 either. I like Ray, can leave the key as Ab and enter C#m7 etc.

I also tried the way Kamilu did with no problems. BIAB didn't change it to Dbm7

There must be some other issue at work here. Anyone else?

Hi Kamilu,

I've just been reading through the BIAB updates and it looks like the issue with the display of enharmonic notes (and presumably chords) was addressed in BIAB 2010.5 Build 301.

With the above in mind, have you tried (re)installing the latest update for version 2010.5 (here's the link) and seeing if that makes a difference?

Regards,
Noel

Make me #11. Mac is well respected around here and I've always found him to be correct when it comes to music and music history. Later, Ray

Somebody call the Waaambulance.

--Mac

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Doesn't it center around what your root is? If you are in a sharp key you get sharps. If you are in a flat key you get flats.

Just write everything in C!! You get NO sharps or flats!!!

Worked for Irving Berlin!

Berlin was a "Black Key Pianist" -- his key was Gb (F#)...

He also purchased a specially built upright piano for his place that had a Shift on it that would move the hammers from side to side, matching them up with the F# to any of the other keys, so that he could accompany singers, etc. and be able to play in their chosen key signatures while still thinking in F#. This long before the advent or idea of MIDI, the whole thing was a mechanical transposer.

--Mac

HA! A "capo" for a piano. Brilliant. I had the HONOR of meeting Mr. Berlin (briefly) at a 90th Birthday celebration in NYC. I think there was a 100th celebration too...a year before he died. I don't recall if he was well enough to attend that one. But at 90, he was pretty spry.

(-:

Jim