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What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

The order of the sharps and flats has to do with the order in which they appear in the various keys. The key of one sharp is G major (or E minor), which has F#, and every other key containing sharps ...
Aaron's user avatar
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6 votes
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Do all musical phrases have a structured form?

I think the thing you overlook is the formal theory you are asking about is focused on classical style. Sentence has a fairly specific meaning within that context. But it does not necessarily apply to ...
Michael Curtis's user avatar
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Why in musical notation may one notate the chord as dominant 7th, even though only the major triad of it is played?

Actually both Beats 1 and 4 which are notated as G#7 contain F#’s. On beat one it happens on the 3rd triplet and on beat 4 it happens one octave lower on the 1st triplet, both in the right hand. Beat ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
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Tied notes that could be dotted

To make it easier to read rhythms, especially syncopated rhythms, 4/4 bars are commonly divided into two halves with an invisible barline. This forces visible notes to be seen on the "strong"...
piiperi Reinstate Monica's user avatar
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6/8 or 2/4 with triplets?

2/4 with triplets is 6/8!! If you mean the 2nd downbeat (the 2nd beat in 2/4 or the 4th sub-beat in 6/8), then, yes, they will have the same weight – not quite as much emphasis as the actual 1st ...
Tim's user avatar
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3 votes

6/8 or 2/4 with triplets?

Yes, 2/4 with triplets is precisely equivalent to 6/8. Not sure what you mean by 'second down beat'? There's only one down beat in a bar. But there's no reason to assume the second beat would be ...
Laurence's user avatar
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3 votes

What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

The order of the accidentals follows the circle of fifths. This is by no means an accident. If you consider a major scale such as C D E F G A B C W W S W W W S we can ask: What is the smallest ...
Lazy's user avatar
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3 votes

What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

The order of the flats in a key signature is always BEADGCF. To determine what key it is, look at the flat that's second from the right. In your example that's G, so the key is G-flat major. With only ...
Pete Becker's user avatar
2 votes
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How to count swung eights in takadimi?

TL;DR: The method doesn't specify how to execute swung rhythm, so it's up to the teacher or student to decide on the method to use. Takadimi does not specify a counting method for swing rhythms. Jazz/...
Aaron's user avatar
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2 votes

What's the difference between "con brio" and "con fuoco"?

Con fuoco is literally "with fire", which I think let's you work out the feeling for yourself. "Passionately" might be a way to look at it. Con brio is "with panache" or ...
Edmund Shaw's user avatar
2 votes

What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

If you are familiar with the circle of 5ths, the way sharps and flats are added is actually quite easy and simple. They are added in the order of the circle, or in 5ths. F is one flat, B Bb is two ...
John Belzaguy's user avatar
2 votes

What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

Playing in several bands, the number of sharps was shown by the bandleaders by fingers. Up for sharps, down for flats. Thus, four fingers up would indicate E/C♯m, 3 down, E♭/Cm. We also often had ...
Tim's user avatar
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2 votes

Tied notes that could be dotted

There's a hierarchy. Show the barline (that one hasn't many exceptions, except perhaps when there's a tuplet across a barline). Show the mid-point of the bar. Show the beats. But allow simple ...
Laurence's user avatar
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2 votes
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What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

Several people have mentioned the circle of fifth already, but I think there's still potential to showcase how versatile that thing is. Here is one from As people have already mentioned if you want ...
haxor789's user avatar
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1 vote

Tied notes that could be dotted

The basics is to show where the middle of the bar actually is. By making the note a dotted one, it sort of obscures that fact. By tying it across the centre of the bar, it theoretically shows where ...
Tim's user avatar
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1 vote

What determines the orders of flats or sharps appearing on a key signature? Why is it not just top to bottom?

To put it simply: It's the order in which they appear if you consider the signature with one flat/sharp first, then the one with two, then the one with three, and so on. One flat: F major, contains Bb....
Divizna's user avatar
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1 vote

What is going on theory-wise with this passage of music?

C - Bb - Cm - F/A - Eb/Bb - - F/A - Bb - Cm/G - - Bb/F - Gm - C You're working with C as tonic. I think you can make a case for Bb becoming tonicized in the middle of the passage. The progression F/A ...
Michael Curtis's user avatar
1 vote

What is going on theory-wise with this passage of music?

It appears that rather than Mixolydian, the song flips between the parallels - C major and C minor. This is quite a common occurrence, and does work well, as the root stays the same - C.
Tim's user avatar
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1 vote

How to convert Interval Difference to Circle of Fifths segments and position

The most straightforward way to do this is to build a lookup table. Another possibility would be to consider the following: Chromatic Clockwise steps around Semitones the circle of fifths 0 ...
Aaron's user avatar
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