Tag Archives: equal temperament

Why D sharp and E flat are two different notes with the same pitch

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The equal tempered system

In starting to study music theory, many people try to apply it to the keyboard or a piano but find themselves faced with difficulties.
It is important to understand that the same black keys have different names, for example G sharp and A flat.

You may have even wondered the reason of this, especially in studying the theory of intervals. Perhaps you have also asked yourself if the C – D shrp interval is the same as C – E flat interval.

In the lesson today, we will try to give an explanation to this and find where this ambiguity comes from.
In this way we will explore the world of music systems that have been used throughout the history of music.

Most importantly, we will introduce a new and very important concept:

The Equal Tempered scale

Learning material of this lesson

4 videos 17 mins
1. The problem of black keys and how to determine the pitch of notes 4m 23s
2. The first two musical systems 4m 03s
3. How can G sharp and E flat have a different pitch? 5m 20s
4. The equal tempered system and the main consequence of its introduction 4m 03s
... to continue this video lesson

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