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Music Theory - Why Is C So Important?

why is the note C (on any octave) so important? Why is there a middle C? Why not middle A since that is where the alphabetic notes start..

why didn't the original music theorists make A the important note? I believe C is the note that is a multiple of 1000hz.. but why not call A that note?

Good question... Probably has some historical thing to do with it, when the first keyboard instruments were created... *shrug*

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Originally posted by Stephenox Good question... Probably has some historical thing to do with it, when the first keyboard instruments were created... *shrug*

doubtful.. the original grand staff (13 lines big, I believe) was created long before the harpsicord.. it had C right smack in the middle.. why?

quote:

Originally posted by Stephenox Good question... Probably has some historical thing to do with it, when the first keyboard instruments were created... *shrug*

Yes that's correct, it is a historical reason. I don't remember what it was, but I don't believe it was with the first keyboards.

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Originally posted by alanzo why is the note C (on any octave) so important? Why is there a middle C? Why not middle A since that is where the alphabetic notes start.. why didn't the original music theorists make A the important note? I believe C is the note that is a multiple of 1000hz.. but why not call A that note?

A is the only note that has integers for frequencies - 110, 220, 440, etc... Every octave, the frequency doubles. All other notes have some fraction after the whole number.

Of course, back when the whole system was devised, there was no way to measure frequencies Plus you have to take into account the different tuning systems each culture uses, and how that influenced Western music theory.

C is the most musically relevant (note not important) note because C is the most musically relevant scale.

The scale of C is the scale in which all notes are naturals. For you non-music afficiando's, that means that all the white keys on the keyboard are in the key of C. Scales begin and end on the note of the key of the same name. The key of C begins on C. The major chord of that key (C Major) begins on that note.

Because playing non natural notes (called sharps or flats) is more complicated than playing naturals, everyone starts playing their music in this simple key. This is true of all instruments - pianos, saxophones, clarinets, recorders, trumpets.

Generally notes outside the key are non-harmonic, ie. they sound nasty, although can sound good. For example, as long as you press a white key on a keyboard which is separated from the last note by at least one key, your tune will sound harmonic (Pressing two keys side by side can cause disharmony, but that's a long lesson in scales,chords and cluster chords).

If you wanted to play a song in the key of F for example, you would have to remember that the B key was now disharmonic, and instead of pressing the B key, you would have to press the Bb (that's B flat) key instead. Now imagine keys with five or six non-natural notes. You need to know which ones are natural and which ones are flat/sharp.

As you get more and more skilled, so too can you handle more difficult keys. But of course, C was where you started.

Cake (the band) wrote a disparaging song called "Symphony in C". It's a put down, saying that this fellow was only smart enough to write a symphony in C. No one writes a symphony in C. But if you're smart, now a days you can write all your tracks in C Major, and use the "TRANSPOSE" function to move them to a really complicated key.

Then you can tell everyone - "Yeah, I only feel comfortable composing in a key with five flats"

quote:

Originally posted by CandyRaver666 ...

Anyone who starts to play an instrument at a school of music knows after two years 4-5 different keys. That's two sharps and two flats: BFlat F C G D.

It's middle C because when this system was invented a system was used for the steps you take when you move from c to a. that's c 1 d 1 e 1/2 f 1 g 1 a All the notes seperatly where the beginning of the different sentences in that song. This system 1 1 1/2 1 1 Can be apply'd to every starting note. At first they thought of f and g to complete the scale so when they played melodys you coulld switch chords

c d e f g a
======f g a Bflat c
========g a b c d

So for the c scale they used the c and g parts

A is the sixt note in c and the scale from a to a is called the minor scale. Sixt note in f major is d. sixt note in g major is e.
So you guys know 6 scales now!!
C major A minor
F major D minor
G major E minor

Mind that in minor you have a lowerd third (c), sixt (f) and seventh (g).

imo its to do with where the bass and treble staves joing together and how it affects your left hand and right and placements

http://www.zentao.com/guitar/lesson5/theory-1.html

plus the first the thing any musician will try to teach a n00b is relative pitch by ear with a major scale using 'do ray me fa so la te do' which happens to be the easiest thing to memorise by ear. Plus its easier to start off with no flats or sharps on the major scale which happens to be a c major (all white keys).

However if you are a blues muso you will probably start of with b flat and use only the black keys to create a pentatonic scale .... lol

From what I have heard, back in the day of prolific musical instrument makers, every company or individual had their own tuning that was arbitrary to their own liking. One person's A was another's C and so forth. As people began trying to compose for these instruments they realized the problem at hand, that each instrument was tuned, at least in theory in a different key. In fact, even today many instruments are not in the key of C, such as trumpets, clarinets, saxaphones, etc. However, the open tuning note of each of these instruments was eventually stablized and each one corresponds to the Bb of a standard C instrument, such as a piano, guitar, etc. So when a trumpet plays a C, or a reed instrument an Eb, it corresponds to a Bb on a C instrument. And actually, in terms of composition for large groups such as symphonies, the Bb is by far the most important note, and most keys used in these compositions contain flats, such as F, Bb, Eb, etc. C in all reality is important only the piano, as it makes the major scale much easier whereas most other instruments find it more natural to play in a key other than C.

Hope that helped.

quote:

Originally posted by CandyRaver666 The scale of C is the scale in which all notes are naturals. For you non-music afficiando's, that means that all the white keys on the keyboard are in the key of C. Scales begin and end on the note of the key of the same name. The key of C begins on C. The major chord of that key (C Major) begins on that note.

That's not completely right... the first musical scales are egyptian, semitic, greek, chinese and those didn't match the current modal scales. They are called Pitagoric, Ionic, Doric, Eolic, Dodecaphonic, tonic... and so many!.
The true fundamental note is A. A is the base for any (western) scale or affination. The first note in a piano is A (55 Hz). The first scales were called natural. Then, there were more: diatonic, chromatic (discovered by chinese people)...

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Because playing non natural notes (called sharps or flats) is more complicated than playing naturals, everyone starts playing their music in this simple key. This is true of all instruments - pianos, saxophones, clarinets, recorders, trumpets.

that's not true... there are a lot of instruments tuned on other scales than C Maj. Piano is tonally very limited, but, for example, violins can play a continuos scale (there's no black and white notes). The strings of violin are tuned on G, D, A and E (there's no C!), so you can freely choose C Maj, G Maj, D Maj, ... Arp is toned at C b Maj,

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Then you can tell everyone - "Yeah, I only feel comfortable composing in a key with five flats"

Some scales are better to sing, to play on a saxo, and surprisingly, many people say some of them are mort comfortable to listen to (A Maj, Do# Maj).

Relating to why C is called C instead of A...? In the latin notation, we use Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si... that are the first syllabes of a Gregorian chant.

I write in all minor scales so im always using the black keys.

Harmony was originally discovered by Pythagoras, who found that 2 strings of equal tension and a length ratio of 2:1 make an octave. Also lengths with ratios of 3:4 2:3, etc made fifth, fourth and so on. Interestingly, these ratios were used in the entire architecture of Notre Dame, because the ancient Greeks believed this type of harmony was the basis of all nature. So basically they extrapolated their calculations with intervals out to two octaves ending up with agfedcbagfedcba which they called the "greater perfect system". So depending on what note of the scale you start on, you get a different mode. Our Cmaj scale corresponds to their Lydian mode. It's too much to try to explain here but basically you can blame Bach for the rest. I hope that made sense.

The C note is the most natural note to hear, I think... if somebody sings a note without knowing what it is, it'll probably be a C because that's the easiest note to hit with the human voice. I think that a C note just has a certain 'grounded' feel to it, it's hard to explain what I mean but it just sounds like a good starting note.

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Originally posted by DjSimonB The C note is the most natural note to hear, I think... if somebody sings a note without knowing what it is, it'll probably be a C because that's the easiest note to hit with the human voice. I think that a C note just has a certain 'grounded' feel to it, it's hard to explain what I mean but it just sounds like a good starting note.

Well dream on
If I sing a note it won't be a c. Each voice is different so a easy note forme can be hard for you. each other note is also very usable as a starting note

Melodies are not made up of notes but jumps between notes.

yeah, just learned this the other day.

music was origionally based on religion

all religion has that one note . . weather it be "amen" or "ohmm"

each of those has that appealing note. if you take a tuner into a church or tibetian monestary, you will notice the "amen" and "ohmmm " are both C notes

don't know why it's called C, but it's also the center of the circle of fifths.

same reason we call trees trees, i suppose. just cuz

quote:

Originally posted by enferno yeah, just learned this the other day. music was origionally based on religion all religion has that one note . . weather it be "amen" or "ohmm" each of those has that appealing note. if you take a tuner into a church or tibetian monestary, you will notice the "amen" and "ohmmm " are both C notes don't know why it's called C, but it's also the center of the circle of fifths. same reason we call trees trees, i suppose. just cuz

Ehm you won't find a c on your tuner when you check the tune of amen or else. They also know more scales then c to c. They didn't use the black keys in the beginning. 4 other scales start at the second third fourth and fifth note of c major and stay in this scale.

Interesting stuff .. Ive beeen listening to some perfect pitch seminars on tape on the hope of eventualy attaining perfect pitch ... lmao ... so I can tell what note is what .... just like how my eyes know what is red or blue ... the guy reckons he got the knack by starting to hear that each note has its own character i.e. c and f is rounded/full sounding and b flat has a sinister character ... it isnt working for me so far.. but I can hope for it one day

My girlfriend and one of my friends both have perfect pitch, it pisses me off =P They're really good, they can listen to any song and tell me any note that's being played. My gf can also do annoying shit like tell me that the sub-bass is a fifth below the kick... like wtf, I might be able to figure that out if I spent 20 minutes at a keyboard with a similar bass and kick loaded up.

Back to the topic at hand, I sorta just skimmed the replies, but C is only really particularly relevant on a piano. On a violin for instance, it's not at all and the main note is A.

To answer the original poster's question: why do we call the colour blue, 'blue'? C is just what that particular grouping of notes ended up getting called. They could just as well have been called Frog.

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