Do sharps befuddle keyboard players?

[dll927]

Is it true that some keypoard players seem to prefer flats over sharps?

I once knew a church pianist (I was the organist) who always insited hat anything with more than two sharps be transposed down half a tone to flats. Since most hymns are fairly simple notation, it is not all that difficult to do, as most of the notes on paper remain the same.

I don't play any string insgument, or that matter any other, but I have sometimes wondered if sharps work out better on some other instruemnts.

Franck, for instance, was fond of sharps -- three, four, or five whenever he could. Is there something to the idea that sharps come across as more difficult than flats?

 

[wljmrbill]

I beieve it is a psychological problem.. related to the way the brain relates. I know I have always been the same way as your friend..... Always found flats easier than sharps to play ( actually still do after all these years )... I know one teacher I had said"" It is all in your head "

 

[JHC]

When I first started to play I did find flats easier but had no problems later on, I do wonder if it was because my teacher started me off with F,B flat E flat?

 

[Krummhorn]

I have no problem with either sharps or flats ... until we get to F# major, at which time I would rather play all flats.

 

[Mat]

That's a strange preference, Lars. But you - organists - can always hit the transpose button and don't give a damn at all :lol:

As for me, it makes no difference wheter I play flats or shaps.

 

[Contratrombone64]

"hit the transpose button" - I don't think so, at least not on any pipe organ I've played. On electronic, yes, but then again I don't play them.

 

[jhnbrbr]

I also found the flat keys easier at one time, but I've never understood why. When I started playing organ at church I found a hymn in four sharps more challenging than one in five flats. Nowadays, I think things have evened out, the sharp keys are as good as the flats, or no worse, let's say!

 

[Krummhorn]

That's a strange preference, Lars. But you - organists - can always hit the transpose button and don't give a damn at all :lol:

:lol: Not an option for me ... I can't use those things - since I was blessed with perfect pitch it's too confusing. The brain "knows" which physical note is being played and ... well, I just can't use them at all.

"hit the transpose button" - I don't think so, at least not on any pipe organ I've played. On electronic, yes, but then again I don't play them.

I've seen a transposer on a pipe organ just once ... it was a Wicks - only went 4 semitones in either direction .. a huge dial, about 6 inches in diameter; had to be a wiring nightmare behind it for sure.

 

[Contratrombone64]

I find flat keys "easier" to play on the organ for some reason, but get confused if there are more than 5 in the key signature. Sharps, well, I'm happy with G, D and A majors and E at a pinchin, any others play havoc with my clapped-out-dementia-ridden brain.

 

[JHC]

I'm happy with G, D and A majors and E at a pinchin, any others play havoc with my clapped-out-dementia-ridden brain.

You to eh, join the club [dementia] I mean, its a .... ..

 

[dll927]

Interesting discussion, and I just wanted to see if there was anything to it.

About that "transpose" dial -- I've never heard of such a thing on a pipe organ. It would have to be done by lowering the air pressure or some such oddball trick.

However, I once read that there is a pipe organ in the Stanford Memorial Church that can be played in a couple of different temperaments. My impression was that it was done with "extra" pipes, but I'm not sure just how it works. Could it be that there are certain stops pitched in a different way?

Electronics are another matter. I've seen lots of Rodgers, etc. with dials that raise or lower the pitch by a couple of full tones (in half-steps), but that's to accommodate singers. And I'm sure it would cause a problem for the "perfect pitch" types. I personally am not quite that type, but I'm sure I could come pretty close.

 

[Mat]

I'd just like to point out that I used a smiley at the end of the sentence, hence it should not really be taken seriously, rather as a joke (which Lars seems to have gotten right).

As for the transponse button, I've played electronic organ with such feature, but it wasn't much of help to me as I am also blessed/cursed with perfect pitch.

 

[Contratrombone64]

I to am cursed with perfect bitch, mat, so you're not alone there. Listening to "authentic instrument" performances is tedious for me until I eventually adjust. I mean, there's nothing like expecting Mozart's Jupiter Symphony to commence gloriously in majestic C Major only to be assulted with B Major ...

 

[Mat]

Then you can probably imagine how "lucky" I am to have all of Mozart symphonies performed by the Academy of Ancient Music and conducted by Hogwood, where a1 is waaay below 440 Hz...

 

[Mathbob]

flats preference story

I, too, have always found flat keys easier to play than sharps - possibly for reasons suggested above. I'd much rather play in 5 flats than 3 sharps. But here's a story along those lines ...

About 30 years ago, I was taking organ lessons from a - no kidding - little old lady who asked me if there was anything in particular that I'd like to work on. I responded that I had no knack for sight transposition. She told me to play St. Anne's (Oh God Our Help In Ages Past) which is in C in most hymnals. Then she said, now play it in C#. I panicked, "C#!! That's 7 sharps!!" Her reply was, "You don't have to think about what to sharp - you just sharp everything!"

I still have no knack for sight transposition.

 

[Dorsetmike]

Obvious really, they cut their fingers on those sharp things

 

[dll927]

Well, C# has to be the same thing as D-flat. Actually, as far as hymn tunes are concerned, theoretically, at least, they ought to be playable in just about any key. To go down a tone or so shouldn't be much of a trick -- as long as you close the hymnbook!! Are you going to call A-flat "G-sharp"??? What's the point?

When I was in high school, they had a music teacher (she retired the year I graduated) whose favorite thing to write in yearbooks was --

Never B-sharp; Never B-flat; Always B-natural -- except she used the symbols for the three, which I can't do on this dumb computer.

 

[AllanP]

I find flats seem to be easier to read and play.

 

[JONESEY]

I hadn't really thought about it until now, but I guess I don't mind either sharps or flats.
I'm another one on the forum with perfect pitch ... played havoc with me the day I took my Grade 8 Piano and Grade 5 Clarinet exam within 3 hours of each other!!!

 

[Contratrombone64]

Jonesey, I first learned of my "perfect bitch, er, pitch" when I too played clarinet, strangely. My oldest brother Jim bought me a clarinet. I went to the music store to try some out in my price range and ended up trying an A clarinet by mistake. It was a Leblanc, I took it home to play it endlessly and said to my mother something along the lines of "muuuuuuuuuuuum, there's something wrong with my beautiful new clarinet and I can't quite put my finger on it".

I then said it's meant to sound a Bflat when I play a C but it's coming out an A for some reason. My mother, who knew nothing about transposing instruments, said "how on earth do you know that?" I said "Hmmm, good question, not sure".