Correctly notating sharps and flats
I always had this issue when naming certain notes in the music scale. For example, when I spell out certain notes such as Eb, some people have advised me to use D# instead of Eb stating that it is the most commonly used term among the music theories. Is it true? If so, which is the most accurate way to write the music scale? I always used to write the scale as follows.
C C# D Eb E F F# G Ab A Bb B
Please advise.
Thanks.
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It depends on the specific scale you are talking about. If the note is not a member of this scale, things become difficult: one would have to decide according to the function it has in a given piece of music, whether it is a flattened or sharpened one. Without any additional information one choice is as good as the other.
Your given scale seems close to the strategy: Use the notation, with the fewest accidentals (related to major), in which this note occurrs first. Close to, because G# occurrs in A major (3 sharps) as well as Ab in e flat major (3 flats) so the choice is not unique.
Given the existence of instruments like the Eb clarinet or saxofone, I can't agree with your mentioned some people.
Certainly Eb is more 'common' than D#. Eb comes as the second changed flat, whereas D# is the 4th. It depends a lot on the key the piece is in. If it's a sharp key, then that note usually gets called D#. If it's a flat key, it's Eb.
However, it also depends on what note it changed from. Say a tune is in A major, and it modulates into E for a bar or few, then it's D#. Say a tune is in G major, and the harmony in a bar needs C minor, then it's Eb, as the E gets changed. There's still a D available, but the E has now morphed into Eb.
If you're talking about the chromatic scale only, that's different.
As Wheat Williams indicated, context is everything. Oscillating between E and E-flat is notationally awkward. In the absence of other compelling influences, I would notate this as D-sharp. Similarly, Oscillating between D and D-sharp is awkward; in that context I would notate as E-flat. In the context of a major or minor scale, you should notate in a fashion that is consistent with the key signature. For example, we generally try to avoid introducing flats when the key signature uses sharps. There are always exceptional cases, but start from this principle.
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