Why is the note name "a" not on any important scale position?
Possible Duplicate:
Why is C the base note of standard notation and keys?
The note names are derived from the alphabet, which starts with "a".
But why is our note "a" not on any important position? In current times you would think the major scale is the most important, but it begins with "C".
Supplemental
To clarify the question: If you name something, a note, and you have a clear system like the alphabet you start somewhere meaningfull. The point is: Was in some part of history the note "a" on any important position of any scale.
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Well, on the piano, a minor is the only all white note minor scale. So it kind of is.
But really, ANY of the 12 notes of the octave can be the tonic of any song - just transpose the song. Singers will require you to do that to support the range they can sing...
C is not "the" major scale. The fact that C Major has all white notes is meaningless — there's nothing intrinsically special about major scales, nor is the choice of keyboard layout anything but arbitrary. Many other instruments are not as seemingly "C-centric" as the piano; there are horns tuned to Eb and F, for example.
See also: Why is C the base note of standard notation and keys?
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