F# vs Gb

ripock

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How do you guys think of his key when you think of it on an abstract level. I mean, if there's a musical context and the music is moving down the fret board, then naturally you're going to go with Gb since everything is trending to the flattening.

So, if there's no context and you're just thinking of this key for composing or whatnot, which name do you go with? Each name has six accidentals associated with it. So they're equal on that score. Each of them also has a very infelicitously named degree. The Gb has a Cb as the fourth and the F# has a E# as its seventh.

I read somewhere that Gb is used very slightly more than F#. However I prefer F# because I tend to think in sharps. When I visualize the fret board I start at the nut and move upward, sharping as I go. Also, hashtags are easier to make than those flat signs (unless you just give up and use the letter B in miniscule).

This is the one problem key. I mean everyone is going to agree that, Ab, for example with its four flats is eminently preferable to G# with its six sharps and one double-sharp. But I'm not getting a feeling for a similar consensus on the F#/Gb controversy.
 
Gb. As a former trumpet player, which is tuned to Bb, my brain is much happier with flats than sharps.

That said, I can't say I would ever want to write in either key if I didn't have to. I personally don't think specific major scales sound any different from each other, so why bother with the keys that have more than 4-5 accidentals. I understand the need to be able to move to and from different keys, just not the need to write in those keys.

Just my :2cents:
 
I can't back this up with any reasoning or logic, but for me it would be F#.

John Colter.
 
You always are interested in such hard ukulele keys. E is not the easiest either in terms of chords, despite that 2 finger one.
I keep reading your thread as it is one of the interesting ones :)

And ukulele is maybe centered on C/Am with no flats and sharps. But I myself play common chord progressions in all 12 keys (and their relative minors), so I'm not a newbie and can share my knowledge.

It is best to look at the circle of fifths:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths
Around C/Am, there are F and G also and then Am Dm and Em (a d e) and what with all the 7s, major or dominant ones as basic chords. It is that 6 chord sector in that wheel you see. 3 hours.

So if you play in Db/Bbm, then I'd call it Gb, less accidentals, 5 instead 7. And with B/G#m it will be most natural to call it F# for the same reason.

As for the key of F# and Gb, 6 bloody hours from our C6 tuning. I just play knowing the chords and probably think some chords as sharp and some chords as flat named, If I even think any of their names.

For me it is all easy from C to E or from C to Ab, in those keys what notes are named sharp or flat. Those are the 9 keys I recently practice fingerpicking. The above are somewhat borderline, but as mentioned the circle and the less accidentals and so far I only strum in them hehe. Keeps good barreing exercises.
 
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There's lots of history behind it, but the bottom line is that with modern tuning it's arbitrary.

Guitar players prefer sharps, so I tend to write F# for the band...
 
However I prefer F# because I tend to think in sharps. When I visualize the fret board I start at the nut and move upward, sharping as I go. Also, hashtags are easier to make than those flat signs (unless you just give up and use the letter B in miniscule).

String instruments are easy to play and visualize sharp because we just need to put fingers on the frets in order to sharp. Wind instruments are easy to play and visualize flat because they just need to fill the holes. We are easier to play sharp keys on our ukulele to flat keys (see the figure below). And we are get used to use hashtags. Ukulele and guitar chord books use F# instead of Gb, because they are string instruments. I use F# more than Gb as many people stated here.

 
Being a tritone away from C, F# or Gb is the Devil's Key, so I generally try to avoid it. :p
 
To clarify, is this question in relation to writing pitches for single note notation or a question about which key signature to use?
 
F# is F with a capo on fret 1. If you want to capo G to get Gb, that's 11th fret, so obviously a non-starter.

Seriously though, in almost every key you don't see a Gb on the stave (see yahalele's circle of fifths diagram above), so I will only ever think F#.
 
Ahem, see his introductory statement: "How do you guys think of [t]his key…." Pretty clear, no?

In the words of Steve Martin,



:D

I was asking for clarification, because there was also a reference to G#, which as a key signature does not exist. I wanted to be sure I was clear.

There are plenty of times here that I have seen discussions about theory where various terms were used and terminology was confused.
 
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Coming from a piano-playing background, F# or Gb reads the same to me by itself. But that said, it's much easier for me to think about F#, I guess because that's how I usually see it in chord charts as well as in piano sheet music [I'm realizing now I've almost never had sheet music in Gb].

The one that always confuses the heck out of me [even though it absolutely shouldn't], though, is A#. I know it's the same as Bb. I have no problem with it in sheet music. Reading chord charts/sheets, though I always get confused for a split second when I see A#, trying to remember what an A# chord looks like [whereas I don't have this problem when I read Bb].

Even worse, it's always a piece in the key of F that I find A# written everywhere...
 
....... [I'm realizing now I've almost never had sheet music in Gb].

Yeah, certainly not something you see every day, although there are times where one finds it used. In my experiences, one often sees keys like that when playing shows, where the pieces were written in particular keys to suit the singer.
 
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I love you guys. Where else can I go to discuss enharmonic matters? My wife puts on a good show for my sake, but I know she really doesn't care.
 
I love you guys. Where else can I go to discuss enharmonic matters? My wife puts on a good show for my sake, but I know she really doesn't care.

I feel ya. I love music theory-related discussions. No one else I know does. My SO isn't a musical person and so I can't even really bring up the subject. My musically trained best friend will politely listen to my rant of the day, but theory is just a means to an end for her.
 
"My wife puts on a good show for my sake, but I know she really doesn't care"

TMI

John Colter.
 
The names of chords/notes make only sense when we need read music.

Myself in my loved songbook I have only a few in E/C#m or in Ab/Fm, but if I had some guitar oriented songs in their original, then yes more for sure in E.
Or if from original brass/wind instruments, then more in 4 or more flat keys.
Seldom if ever we see something we need to play from a sheet with F# and Gb. So in my opinion the names are not then that important.

Important in what ever key we play, the basic knowledge is what are the 5 and 4 chords, and then the 6, 2 and 3 minor chords, the 3rd can be major too because of the harmonic minor. After that all gets more complicated with moods, secondary dominants, scales, music genres etc. Just makes the music so interesting as it is.

Now keyboard players don’t have any so called movable chords. They have to know the above stuff as basics. And they have 10 fingers and we only 4.
Our ukuleles because of the guitar inherited 4th, 3rd, 4th tuning are wonderful chording machines. Keyboardists can’t fake all our playing stuff with their 10 fingers at all :)

Despite that shortcoming, the movable chords can do a lot with say an electric light action guitar. With acoustic instruments guitars and ukuleles, less so because the instruments, especially cheaper ones, will not sound so nice, in general, higher up the neck.

This as added to my previous post.
 
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In the words of Steve Martin,



:D

I was asking for clarification, because there was also a reference to G#, which as a key signature does not exist. I wanted to be sure I was clear.

There are plenty of times here that I have seen discussions about theory where various terms were used and terminology was confused.


I beg to differ. The key of G# Major would have six sharps and one double-sharp, which is notated as a fancy ‘x’ (Fx in this case).

Just because a key is impractical to look at or think of in terms of double-sharps or double-flats doesn’t mean that key doesn’t exist. I will grant that the complicated double-accidental keys are simply insane to look at. :p

For example, I doubt anyone would ever write in the key of Cx Maj with its seven double-sharps, but it would be technically correct to do so...you’re just more likely to see the enharmonic key, D Maj, used. ;)
 
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I suppose it exists in a theoretical sense or as a temporary modulation. One could likely create just about any key or time signature. My point was that in a practical sense, I never have seen this in any study of theory or over years of playing.
 
I suppose it exists in a theoretical sense or as a temporary modulation. One could likely create just about any key or time signature. My point was that in a practical sense, I never have seen this in any study of theory or over years of playing.

Agreed. I have been known to be a contrarian for the sake of argument. :p
 
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