Music Theory Rule I Dont Like

[vstpluginsliker]

I don't like that putting a sharp in front of an F makes the rest of the Fs a sharp. Say in a measure i just want one F to be sharp and the next F in the same measure to be an F natural, then i would have to put a symbol to show that is a natural.
Its confusing for nothing. I rather put a sharp in front of every F that uses it and dont put it in front of natural Fs--simple

[BertKoor]

That's how it works I'm afraid. Not so much a rule of "theory" but just the notation system we are using.

You might like alternative notations better, like the piano roll or this:
viewtopic.php?f=102&t=531404&p=8015037#p8015037

[whyterabbyt]

I don't like that putting a sharp in front of an F makes the rest of the Fs a sharp. Say in a measure i just want one F to be sharp and the next F in the same measure to be an F natural, then i would have to put a symbol to show that is a natural.
Its confusing for nothing. I rather put a sharp in front of every F that uses it and dont put it in front of natural Fs--simple

which is perfectly fine if you're only writing scores for yourself, and never reading anyone else's.

[peersh]

In tonal music, F# indicates that you leave the key and modulate into another one. There you'll stay presumably for the rest of the measure so this rule makes sense. In atonal music however where F and F# may be mixed freely within one measure the use of natural signs according to the rule can be annoying. So your your use of accidentials is ok and a lot of contemporary composers notate like you. They write an annotation into the score like "All accidentals only apply to the immediately following note" or something similar. This is a common solution and makes natural signs obsolete.

[vstpluginsliker]

a lot of contemporary composers notate like you. They write an annotation into the score like "All accidentals only apply to the immediately following note" or something similar. This is a common solution and makes natural signs obsolete.

Sounds good, this makes more sense.

[pabloaldunate]

Maybe that F natural is working as an E sharp. Some context would help.
Tonal Music is written like that; Second Viennesse, Dodecaphonic, atonal music use other standards.

[jamcat]

If it was working as an E# wouldn’t you just use an E# in the notation?

[JoeCat]

[deleted]

[amulitz]

You might get away with it if you include an instruction in your score that you are doing that. Not unheard of in atonal scores. Most folk, however, will put the natural signs in themselves. After all, it's an imperfect set of conventions; but, for diatonic music, it's what we got.

[jrajav]

The history of the notation system aside, it's also just a little easier to play music that way too (that is, with the sharp/flat affecting the rest of the bar). If you're on a violin or a piano, and you play an F#, that's a different position from an F - so the most 'natural' default thing to do is to stay in that same position, if you see another note come by that is, itself, in the same physical position. It feels intuitive after you get used to it the first time.

[excuse me please]

But you can't give an example, I suppose?

[lobanov]

But why F#? Why not Gb?

May be, all we need is 12 different names for all the notes in one octave without f*cked sharps and flats?

Enharmonics are annoying and redundantly redudant.

[jancivil]

"why F# ... not Gb?"
Coherence. Sense. Function. (even in dodecaphonic serialism or "12-tone", there may be a reason, at least to the composer)

If you have a key with F# as a default (in a key signature perhaps), it fits in a tonality or key a certain way. F# in the key of G major is its 7th diatonic degree, known as a leading tone in that tonal type of music, and further is the major third of its "V" or dominant quality harmony (D major)... Gb is as distant from G as pertains to the circle of fifths as there is. Tonal music cannot be well understood outside of this basis. Now, we may notice that 'the third of its "V" harmony'. Thirds are counted: 1, 2, 3. D, E, F. Regardless of the modifying mark, sharp or flat placed by the F there, 1 2 3 = D E F full stop. D to Gb is a fourth: 1 2 3 4/D E F G.

Gb in a key sig; occurs as the fifth flat in that circle of fifths paradigm (Bb Eb Ab Db Gb Cb Fb) so doesn't naturally occur before it denotes the fourth note in Db major/key sig 5 flats (or the sixth note in Bb minor)*. Gb to G is an augmented unison; this is not a minor second. If you don't have these principles you will lack coherence utterly, should you have to convey. (* a visual cue: the last flat in a key sig is a fourth above the tonic of the major variant of the sig)

Now, in a music where a principle is to get as much chromaticism as possible to occur, by design such as with 12-tone rows (where there is no central tone or tonal center), many if not all of these rules are out the window. If an 'accidental' exists to indicate a default of/in key is changed, music not concerned with keys has no accidentals.

I wouldn't recommend writing tonal music, or music with tonal centers (eg., modal types) with your own rule avoiding writing accidentals purely because it's a hassle (unless the presentation is good with looking like a jerk).

[jancivil]

In tonal music, F# indicates that you leave the key and modulate into another one.

Not necessarily. Modulation is a word with a specific meaning. F#, through itself only indicates a note a semitone higher than F.
In the key of G or E minor it will not indicate change of key.

If the key is say C major, F# may mean its harmony G is tonicized (by a dominant function harmony, D F# A, F# A C etc). Tonicization is not through itself a modulation (new key), it may be temporary. The F# may be there to give a flavor of Lydian scale or mode and not need supporting in a particular harmony such as V of V (D major to G major relationship). It may exist as a chromatic pass between F and G. It may be a blue note neighbor descending to F (and some may prefer the sign Gb for that).

[SteveCo]

Fis and Ges are different tones. To allow more modulations the Kirnberger and Werckmeister (etc) tuning made the tones less different. The equal temperament made them the same. Play Wagner on a Cembalo and you know what I mean!
Greetings