Comments on: What is an "H string" on a musical stringed instrument, i.e. guitar or piano?

By: timbobandit

timbobandit — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:19:59 +0000

H is German and Hungarian for B Natural, NOT B flat. B flat is simply called "B".

Meaning in German music theory, the notes go …Ab A B H C Db D Eb E F Gb G…
References :
Check out the aforementioned BACH motif here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BACH_motif

By: TR

TR — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:29:59 +0000

Actually, h is the flatted seventh of the scale, Bb in the key of C major for example. Some musicians have used it as a musical ’signature’, for example one of J.S. Bach’s pieces has a melodic figure b-a-c-h, and Dmitri Schostokovich used s-c-h (Ab, C, Bb) as an abbreviated signature in one of his symphonies.

Your piano would have an h string but not your guitar (unless you use a nonstandard tuning).

It’s also possible that he was referring to the thickness of a brand of guitar strings, h standing for heavy (as compared to m-medium or l-light).

So which it means depends on which instrument he’s talking about; I’d guess piano.
References :

By: cloudisland

cloudisland — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:10:59 +0000

H is the seventh degree in the diatonic scale. It was formerly used by the Germans for B natural.

A seventh is an interval embracing seven diatonic degrees of the scale. The term is also given to a chord which includes the interval of a seventh whether major, minor, or diminished.
References :
The Probert Encyclopaedia of Music