Ah, what you are talking about is pure Western THEORY. I think I misunderstood where your emphasis lay.MPGK wrote:That's exactly what I mean by learning the wrong way.Lazos wrote:btw, for beginner students in Western common practice theory, D sharp and E flat should be exactly (enharmonically) the same (just like on a piano or guitar). It would be too confusing (IMHO) to start talking about historical tunings, comma/cent deviations and the like for a beginner.
Sure, they sound the same on guitar and piano and in the absolute abstract, but in fact they are two completely different things. It would actually be MUCH MORE confusing NOT to teach students the difference, and these are fundamental basics and have absolutely nothing to do with "historical tunings" or deviations of any kind - though, in fact, on a violin, a D sharp sounds different than an E flat.
e.g., in a C minor chord, this note would be the third: 1-2-3 - C-D-E. Add the flat given by the key you're in, and you're good to go. Ta-dah, it's an E flat. It's really that easy. Calling it a D sharp would be like calling your own mother "grandma's daughter". It's the same thing, but it's overly complicated - plus, it could also mean your aunt.
I don't know how often I had to explain this to students because they learned it wrong. And as a result, they end up confused and frustrated when faced with more complicated harmonic or melodic issues.
I understand calling the third in a C minor chord a "D sharp" is wrong. That is basic theory and this might explain better for some why they are different in a theoretical sense: Because early on, students are taught when learning the musical staff that one cannot have both flats and sharps in the given key signature. AND (though not often stated explicitly) scales need to have visual appeal on the staff. You can't have your third of the scale appearing on the space reserved for the second degree with just an accidental modifying it. This is why when you write the C minor scale, the third is E flat and not D sharp.
Now, Saying that a D sharp and an E flat sound different on a violin means you are NOT playing in 12-tone equal temperament. They actually ARE different in other systems such as traditional Turkish music, for instance. But in 12-tone equal temperament they are indeed the same. Thus the term "enharmonic".