On the other hand, I’m not averse to textspeak in the right context.

So on reflection, I think you are right that retaining the “correct” notation in writing the music is important, and that it is for the performer to add anything that will make it more playable for him/herself.

The Koshkin vid was fascinating…very quirky.

What a full weekend you had - and very few breaks! I’m off to be inspired at the Tapestry event on Tuesday - I don’t think it will be as interactive as your course, but fortunately, I don’t think boredom will be a feature there either.

Thanks for your comment. Enharmonic notes didn’t cross mind when writing this, as I was really thinking solely about sound – playing by ear and responding to aural stimuli – but I see your point.

Enharmonic notes can cause something of a moral maze for music teachers. For someone in view of the full picture e.g. composer, arranger, conductor, copyist and particularly “transposer” it’s essential that usage is correct. However, would a pupil in an ensemble prefer an easily readable part than one whose spelling conforms to other parts they will never see? Does ironing out their path deprive them of the opportunity to understand the issue?

I recall some pupils asking (or rather moaning) about the opening phrase of a great little piece by Nikita Koshikin* called Paper Dragon. In the key of E, it begins – B E F# Fx G# and most confessed they would rather see B E F# G G#. I tried to explain that were the correct version to be transposed into the key of C it would read G C D D# E whereas the easier version would become G C D Eb E – where, one could argue, the chromatically rising nature of it is less clear. This enharmonic business freaked them out more than the time signature of 7/8.

You’re right – the seminars and workshops were invigorating so I didn’t feel tired even although the schedule was quite full:

Journey on Friday evening (Waverly, Kings Cross, East Dulwich)
Journey on Saturday morning (East Dulwich – Euston Road)
Seminar 1 – 11:30 – 1:00
Improvisation Workshop – 1:00 – 1:40
Lunch
Seminar 2 – 2:00 – 4:00 with a 10 minute interval
Improvised Performance in gallery

The only thing I find invariably tiring is boredom.

* you can see Koshkin playing here http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Uj5L7DreC5A

Would you say that enharmonic notes are exactly this?

We amateur orchestral string players who rely heavily on music to play our parts, (and less on memory) are frequently challenged by the use of, for example, the more unfamiliar Gb when F# would be rendered by the same finger on the same string, albeit slightly differently placed to account for the harmonic flavour, but with less brain power expended.

Adherence to conventions of harmonic notation also means that some concentration is required to render the correct interval from say, Cb to Db, whereas the same interval written as B to C# would be much more familiar, (and probably sound better!)

Playing Tippett recently, where the harmonic intervals could not be assumed, was very hard reading work indeed.

Even though we understand perfectly well about harmony, scales and keys we’d still write little enharmonic reminders above very awkward passages.

Your workshops sound as if they stimulated parts of the brain that are underused in most of us. Did you feel invigorated or tired afterwards?
Dorothy