When you learn traditional music theory, you’re taught the importance of tonality: composing music in one key and staying there, mainly to keep things from lurching around too unpredictably.

But what’s wrong with a little unpredictability?

I love clever chord changes. And I love the music of George Gershwin, Erik Satie and Scott Joplin. So I wrote a piano piece that combined the styles of those three composers — and deliberately tested how often I could change keys without annoying listeners.

(Hence the title. There’s no such note as C flat.)

Interesting footnote: I used digital music software to write this piece, then had the computer play it back on a digital grand piano. I could never perform it live because I’m just not that good. But if anyone wants to give it a try, I’ll gladly print out the score.

 

 

 

Music © 2008 by Tim Harrower