Photo by the author, Deeann D. Mathews, July 3, 2024
"All that's best of dark and bright, said the poet (who I'll name later) ... if there is a spelling challenge between chords in E major (G sharp) and F minor (same note as G sharp, but written A flat), we will indeed get the best of both worlds!
In music there is spelling as well as reading, and "enharmonic spelling" is usually about the five black keys ... are they sharps or are they flats? It depends on what key they are in!
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What I was also exploring here was how keys that are to the ear very far apart -- E major is a completely different sound world than F minor -- are obviously not so far when one considers the black notes they share, and also how major and minor keys (D flat vs. C sharp minor) are worlds apart, especially when we start considering their ninth and eleventh chords.
But, FINALLY, although I love exploring what Lord Byron called "all that's best of dark and bright," I have to get us to the light ... so, spoiler alert ... the correct spelling, as everyone who writes music knows, is A flat!
Enjoy the journey!