Re: Key Question

[David Raleigh Arnold]

On Friday 27 May 2005 02:16 am, Mark Healey wrote:
> I'm new to Lilypond and a beginning piano student.  I 
> started using Lilypond because my writing is so illegible 
> the NSA has considered it as a crypto system.
> 
> Anyway.  My teacher has me doing harmonic minor scales. 
> When I tried to use Lilypond to make cheat sheets for myself 
>   I couldn't find it as a key option in the documentation. 
> All I found were \major or \minor \ionian, \locrian, 
> \aeolian, \mixolydian, \lydian, \phrygian, and \dorian.

None of that results in more key signatures.  There are
only fifteen.

Harmonic minor is a variation of the minor mode.  The minor
mode is abc'd'e'f'g'a' or whwwhww.  It is called the
"natural" minor when it has no accidentals in it.
The harmonic minor has the seventh
degree raised a half step whwwh(wh)h.  The purpose is
to have a leading tone in the scale, for reasons of
harmony, hence harmonic minor.

Do them the same way you did the major, but starting with "a" instead
of "c", and sharp the seventh degree of each with an accidental.  You
will need double sharps, dss or dx for example.

Take a look at my theory page.  The scale and mode section is finally
finished.  It's a workbook, or series of projects, rather than a
textbook.  I'd be interested in comments on it, especially from
teachers.  I have some exploration of Glarean's version of the modal
system before harmonic minor.  The rationale is to get more familiar
with intervals sooner.  It was a bitch to write, but fun.  It would
have been much easier just to copy the exercise section of one of the
thousands of books out there on the topics.

> I don't know what these Greek scales mean but I'll worry 
> about that when my studies bring me there.

Their relevance is questionable, to say the least.
 
> Also It prints naturals where the sharps of flats would be. 
>     Why?

Not touching that.
 
> How do I enter the harmonic minor key?

It's minor key.
 
> Do I have to manually force the relevant sharps and flats 
> into my cheat sheets?

Yes.  \key c \major  a b c' d' e' f' gs' a'
Or \key a \minor.  Typesetting really doesn't have anything to do
with tonality.

daveA

-- 
The only technical exercises for all guitarists worth a lifetime
of practice: "Dynamic Guitar Technique".  Nothing else is close.
Free download:  http://www.openguitar.com/instruction.html    
daveA         David Raleigh Arnold          dra..at..openguitar.com