At 22:34:58 on Tue, 29 Dec 1998, our lives were enlightened by the words
of Mike McManus, as follows:
Quote:
>> At 22:01:48 on Mon, 28 Dec 1998, our lives were enlightened by the words
>> of Bill Huston, as follows:
>> > "periodic table" of scales (from 12 sharps to 12 flats),
>> What will the periodic table look like? Wouldn't you be better off
>> with a cycle of fifths?
>I tried this with key signatures recently. At six sharps/six flats
>the cycle of fifths "wraps around" (six sharps and six flats are
>enharmonic keys, and seven sharps and five flats are also enharmonic
>and vice versa).
>Are key signatures beyond seven sharps/flats used at all (in which
>case double sharps or double flats would need to be used) or are
>they simply avoided by spelling the key signature in an enharmonic
>key? I would suspect the latter as I have never seen key signatures
>using double sharps or flats.
Not used for key signatures as such, AFAIK, but they may be used in
sections of pieces. If you modulate from Gb major to Cb major and then
down another fifth, you would probably go into Fb major - assuming you
weren't planning on staying there very long :-). Check out a piece by
Rachmaninov that starts in G# minor for solo piano - unfortunately I
can't remember the title but someone else may do. It is full of double
accidentals.
Samuel Hogarth
'It's not my fault, I'm only ickle'
(to reply, replace 'up' with 'down')