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: 6/14/2008 Subject: theory
Question hi clare, i have come across an x next to a note in the music text i was hoping you could tell me what it means.
thankyou kindly.
Answer Hello John,
It's a double sharp. There are also double flats, written as two flat signs next to each other (bb). A double sharp raises a "normal" note by two semitones, a double flat lowers it by two semitones.
You first encounter these little blighters in minor keys with five or more sharps in the key signature. Bear in mind that a diatonic scale, by definition, contains one of each pitch name in sequence. So, say we want to write out the scale of G# minor without a key signature.
We can start by writing the notes G A B C D E F G. Our key signature is five sharps so we can put those in = G# A# B C# D# E F#. Now we need to sharpen the leading note, which is already F#, so it becomes Fx. **!!NB This is not the same note as G natural!!**. It cannot be G natural because you can't have Gnat followed by G# in the same scale.
(As I've said before, there's a difference between saying eg Dbb is the same as C, *which it isn't*, and saying that due to our mathematically inaccurate system of tuning (equal temperament) the two notes sound at the same pitch, which is correct.)
To cancel double sharps - say you're moving chromatically and you want to write Gx followed by G# - you write a natural sign and a sharp sign before the G, and the same goes for Ebb followed by Eb.
