Which songs has the most keys

[chico62]

Hello everyone

Can any one tell me which songs has the most keys in it? and how many key or mode does it have.............Chico62

[fep]

I bet you're not getting any responces because:

1) Nobody around here knows and

2) Nobody cares, (why does it matter)

Here's some trivia that might satisfy you...

All the Things You Are; has a chord progression with a chord with a root of every note of the chromatic scale, chords included in that song...

Abmaj7 Am7 Bb7 Bb-7 B7 Bdim7 Cmaj7 Cm7 C7 Dbmaj7 Dbm7 D7 Ebmaj7 Eb7 Emaj7 Fm7 F#m7 Gmaj7 G7

That's a mouth full of keys.

[GodinFan]

Pick Yourself Up - also by Jerome Kern - has some major key shifts in it. IIRC, the tonal centre goes up a tone in the second eight, up another semi-tone in the next eight, and then back to the original key in the last eight.

[fivebells]

Wrong part of the Forum for this topic. This area is for the site owner's announcements.

[chico62]

sorry about that fivebell

[chico62]

yes it a trivia thing for me so thank for the come back.chico62

[czgibson]

I dep for a swing band that does a version of 'Mack The Knife' that moves up a semitone every chorus - giving about seven different keys by the time you reach the end. Sounds like a cheesy device but it works!

[GodinFan]

Both Ella and Bobby Darin recorded versions of Mack the Knife that modulated up a half step every chorus.

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

How do you determine how many keys a song goes through? It can be rather brief or more suggested than established. How many keys does Laura go through?

[musicalbodger]

What about that '60s song — World without Love? Doesn't that start with something like "please lock me away..."? Got to be a few keys there

[mattymel]

still "all the things..." only really goes through 5 keys mainly in jumps of 3rds (Ab, C, Eb, G, E). similar in movement to the bridge of "have you met miss jones", which is supposedly the inspiration of coltrane's "giant steps" and other like minded trane tunes. those would obviously take the prize for most keys. some of the hardest tunes to navigate harmonically speaking.

[brian329]

On Marc Johnson's record Sound of Summer Running, Metheny and Frisell have fun with a song called "Dingy Dong Day". It's a faux surf song of all things and it IIRC, it goes through 15 key changes, some in mid phrase, some for only 1 bar.

I used to play it at open mic nights and offer a beer to whatever musician could pick out all of the key changes.

I still have the beer money in my pocket.

Aren't mode and key completely different animals?

[tezzz]

La mere has 3 key changes

[Roberoo]

Try Ivan Lin's piece "The Island". It is a 24 bar form with at least 3 key changes in the 24 bar form but... the kicker is that at the end of the 24 bar form the piece modudulates a half step up it can go on doing so through all 12 keys. Most importantly... the piece is beautiful... whereas most pieces with a weath of modulations come off as academic and not terribly musical.... You can see Lins do it here with only three half step modulations.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nj_X-Uv7yyA

[paynow]

Originally Posted by musicalbodger

What about that '60s song — World without Love? Doesn't that start with something like "please lock me away..."? Got to be a few keys there

I was just about to answer this until I realized what you meant. Paul McCartney wrote the tune for Peter and Gordon and although Lennon's name is on it he hated it, specifically the line you quote. I always loved it. Nice tune, mainly in one key. When asked about it Lennon said "I think Paul sold that one to Peter and Garfunkel or something." Hah! I believe it was the only Lennon/McCartney tune not recorded by the Beatles to hit #1.

There was a tune by the Beatle-esque American group "The Beau Brummels" which is called "Laugh, Laugh". It's in E Major during the verse but the chorus starts on an F# Major and runs through a cycle of fourths until it gets to a C Major at which point it goes to B Major to get back to E Major.

That tune gets my vote for the most modulations in a song of this particular genre and of that era.

Thanks for the laugh!

[musicalbodger]

Glad someone appreciated it, paynow. I was beginning to think this forum had lost its sense of humour.

[KShri]

Charlie Parker - Confirmation

[docbop]

There was an early Zappa/Mothers tune that modulated a 1/2 step every few bars it might of hit all twelve keys by end. Long time ago can't remember the name had a DooWop feel to it.

[mr. beaumont]

I was in a band in college that wrote a song that modulated up a half-step for every section. So over the course of three verses, three choruses, a bridge and a solo, we went through 8 keys.

Not that it was any good, but we sure thought we were clever.

[Dad3353]

Originally Posted by docbop

There was an early Zappa/Mothers tune that modulated a 1/2 step every few bars it might of hit all twelve keys by end. Long time ago can't remember the name had a DooWop feel to it.

'You didn't try to call me' (no, not you, you fool, the Zappa song title...), from 'Cruising with Ruben & the Jets', perhaps? Although there's a host of others in similar ilk.

Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny...
F. Zappa

[docbop]

Originally Posted by Dad3353

'You didn't try to call me' (no, not you, you fool, the Zappa song title...), from 'Cruising with Ruben & the Jets', perhaps? Although there's a host of others in similar ilk.

dat's it. Thanks!