E# note in the D# Major scale. What does it mean?

Question

I've been having this doubt for a quite a while and haven't been able to find a satisfying answer. Is the 'E#' note technically an F? If so, why does it not exist on the chromatic scale like other sharps? I mean, what exactly is the E#? Is it a note on its own or is it just another way of saying F? And what do people mean when they say that the D# Major scale is theoretical major scale and why it does not exist in the circle of fifths diagram? I came across the last paragraph on a website.

Answer 1

I think I can answer this for you. The reason that the D# Major scale is considered a "theoretical major scale" is because there is no real use for it as it contains the same pitches as an Eb major scale which is much easier to read, write, and perform in because it has less accidentals. I will list the scales below and perhaps you can see why it is easier.

D# Major scale: D# E# F## G# A# B# C##

Eb Major Scale: Eb F G Ab Bb C D

If you were to play both of these scales on an instrument, you would notice that they sound exactly the same. But when reading and writing music, we want to use the scales/notes that are easiest and most efficient for both the composer and performer. A scale like D# major which is all accidentals as well as two double-sharp notes is very uncommon and difficult to read for most players, so it is standard practice to use Eb Major instead, which only has 3 accidentals.

In terms of the E#, this note has the same pitch as an F note yes, but technically the note F is not in the D# major scale as you can see above. Otherwise the first three notes of the scale would be "D# F F##". This is bad practice to have two notes with the same letter assigned to them, therefore we use E# instead of F.

Theoretical notes and scales do exist, but they are called "theoretical" because there is no real practical use for them in standard music practices.

Hope that helps!

-Nic