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From: | Jonathan Kulp |
Subject: | Re: SacredHarpHeads: possible solution to major/minor problem |
Date: | Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:47:48 -0500 |
User-agent: | Thunderbird 2.0.0.21 (X11/20090409) |
Tim Slattery wrote:
but Dorian mode is exactly what you describe, a minor mode with raised 6th scale degree.Yes, it is dorian, but...If you say "\key g \dorian", then the key signature will have one flat in it, and the scale degrees should all be correct: g (1st) a (2nd), and so forth. It seems like this should do what you want.For performance, but not for the notation. For whatever ancient reason, minor scales are traditionally rendered in Dorian mode, especially by people who learned SH from their grandpa and grandma...you get the picture. (It's not uncommon for singers to be using both the raised (dorian) and non-raised (minor) versions at the same time, but that's another discussion...) So what's wanted is the ability to have a normal minor key signature on the sheet music, but have the MIDI rendered in Dorian, with theraised sixth.
Thanks for the rundown, Tim. I actually looked up a bit on this subject last night so now I understand the problem much better. My solution clearly is not a solution for this. I think the hideAccidental thing Mark Polesky was working on in another thread would work well, or as you suggest, have a different shape map for minor that hides the accidental on raised 6th degrees. It's hard to get my head around the idea of always contradicting the key signature without notating the contradition, but I guess there are odd conventions in just about every music tradition. :)
The shape note philosophy reminds me of the medieval hexachord system, where the idea was to keep track of the half-steps and the interval relationships, not necessarily the pitches. Interesting...
-- Jonathan Kulp http://www.jonathankulp.com
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