Why is there no E sharp on a guitar? Or a piano? Or B Sharp on either?

Answer 1

You can understand this better by comparing the Western chromatic scale with the Western major key scale (key of C for example).

The chromatic scale is C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B
The interval between each note in the chromatic scale is "1 semitone". Two semitones equal one tone.

Each Western major scale is constructed the same way in the number of semitones between each note in the scale. The pattern is:

base note-2 semitones(one tone)-2 semitones-1 semitone, 2 semitones, 2 semitones, 1 semitone.

For example, in the key of C major, we have C, D, E, F, G, A, B
In D major we have D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#

E sharp is F, and B sharp is C.

Answer 2

Somebody said that there is a whole step between b and c at the piano because there are no black keys between those twho notes... that is wrong. But your question has been answered by most other persons.

There was a time when c flat and b was different sounding on keyboard instruments, along came the well tempered tuning... that divided an octave en 12 equal semitones, that way you could pleay in any given key, on a keyboard instrument. Before that, it wasnt possible, the instrument had to be tuned to play some keys, bue it couldnt play others.

That is not the case for other instruments, like the violin, which is a just tuned instrument.

If you take a whole step, and divided in 5 small fragments... the flat would be 3 of those fragments below the higher note, and the sharp would be 3 of those fragments above the lower note... so, the flat of the higher note would be 1 of those fragments below the sharp of the lower note. It sound a little confusing,... but, if you read it carefully is not.

So... in our moder pianos for example, most keys are out of tune... all the key signatures, now sound the same, they lost their "personality". HOpe it helped.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why is there no E sharp on a guitar? Or a piano? Or B Sharp on either?

Answer 4

E Sharp Major

Answer 5

E Sharp Chord

Answer 6

There are e sharps on the guitar and b sharps on piano. E # is the same as F natural and B # is the same as C natural. So, on the guitar, if you saw E# in your music, you would play it as an F natural, and on the piano, both E# and B# would be played on white keys even though we traditionally think of sharps and flats only being black keys. For every sharp there is a flat or natural that is the same note and for every flat, there is a sharp that is the same note. This is called enharmonics.

Answer 7

All the previous answers are correct, but have not mentioned the exception to the rule. In Flamenco, as I've noticed, there are a conglomeration of written notes in one measure that could take up every line or space on the staff.

From this problem emerges the possibilities of writing an E# or a B# *because of the amount of notated space being limited. Such notes could serve as slurs or ties in some instances, or they could be played as incidental notes, meaning quicker than normal in duration.

I'd begin to worry if the band leader should say to the group, "Hey, guys, let's play this next song in B sharp."

Added Note: *The notes of Cb and Fb are other possibilities to use in heavy notation.

Answer 8

A sharp or flat is a half step above or below the base note so E + 1/2 step is F. Likewise C is 1/2 step above B.

Note: there _are_ some who refer to notes as 'Cflat' and 'Bsharp', but now you know what notes that they really mean.

Addendum: Sorry, Hoghead, just because there's no black key doesn't mean that it's a whole step.

Answer 9

There is- F is actually E sharp (or, for that matter, F can also be G double flat). C is B Sharp (or D double flat). It's just an enharmonic spelling of the same note.

Answer 10

There is an E sharp. But, it is the note F. So, why think of an E sharp when the next step up is the F note?