AboutClare Redfarn Expertise All aspects of the academic/theoretical side of music, including harmony, counterpoint, elementary composition, history, harmonic analysis, aural training, sightreading - the lot! Please note: I'm neither a professional composer nor a singing teacher.
Experience 49 years as pianist (professional soloist and accompanist); 34 years as harpsichordist (professional soloist and continuist); 10 years as violinist and 6 years as bassoonist (youth orchestras/chamber groups); 36 years as piano teacher, coach in performance/interpretation (all ages, instruments and levels) and private tutor (mainly the old O'level, Grade VI+ ABRSM theory/practical musicianship, A'level and undergraduates).
Organizations I've been a member of the Musicians' Union in Britain since 1978.
Publications I've written many programme notes and a few articles for an online magazine. During the '90s I was also a Music Assessor for London Arts and as such regularly wrote critiques of concerts given by recipients of Arts Council funding.
Education/Credentials MA in European Cultural Policy & Administration (Warwick University, 1994)
B Mus with Honours (London University, 1977)
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Administration (City University, 1982)
Licentiate of Royal Academy of Music in Piano Teaching (1976)
Licentiate of Royal Academy of Music in Harpsichord Teaching (1978)
Studied RAM Junior School (1966-74), then as full-time student (1974-78).
Expert: Clare Redfarn Date: 6/1/2008 Subject: theory
Question hi i have a theory question, if a piece of music is in the key
signature of 'c'sharp minor, and you come to an 'e'sharp note ,do you
play the 'f' or f sharp.
im thinking you play the f'sharp because the key signature is in
c'sharp minor and theres no natural 'f'or im confused.
i would appreciate it if you could cleaify. thank you
Answer Hello John,
If your piece has four sharps as its key signature, then you're either in E major or C# minor. Since the sharpened 7th note is always written as an accidental, if you're in C# minor you'd expect to see B#s cropping up all over the place. Similarly, if you are in C# minor and your piece ends with a tierce de picardie (so that it ends on a chord of C# major), then the 3rd of the chord will be E#.
Remember that a sharp raises a note by a semitone, just as a flat lowers a note by a semitone, so you move to the next note up or down respectively *regardless of the colour of the key* (assuming we're talking about the piano keyboard).
Get right out of the habit of thinking E# is the same note as F. It is not, any more than C# is the same note as Db. (Due to our system of tuning, E# and F sound at the same pitch, which is an entirely different matter.)
