Are you sensitive to keys?

[joe2758]

I never thought key had any effect on me, but I am finding over and over again my favorite pieces are the same key. Not a rare key, but still. We can leave out of the discussion keys that fit well on guitar or other instruments (and don't say it's inseparable either); only aurally speaking.

[Rob MacKillop]

You are not alone Joe. All the great classical composers had their favourite keys. I'll only mention the guitar in relation to Julian Bream's comment: "Why does all atonal music on the guitar sound like it's in Em?" He knew the answer, of course. The Great German lute composer, Sylvius Weiss chose the key of Bbm for his funeral lament for his friend, Count Logy, the reason being that on the baroque lute there are not many open strings in that key, and he tries to avoid them where possible. So, keys are affected by instruments, whether the instrument is a guitar or a full orchestra - think of all those violins, violas and cellos with resonating open strings. Short of a synthesizer, I can't imagine any note or key not being influenced by strings, woods, bits of metal, all of which have an effect on the sound. There's even a difference between the keys of C#m and Dbm - not sure why, but there is.

That aside, my favourite key is like Paris, a moveable feast.

[Tom Karol]

And then of course there's "... D minor, the saddest of all keys!" - Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist of Spinal Tap.

[AllanAllen]

Well, I can say Miles Davis sure liked F, Benny Goodman liked Eb and Ab, Chet Baker liked G.

I try to learn the melody by ear, play around a little comparing the one I learned with some other versions, but after that I'll focus on the real book key. Backing up some singer a-la Joe and Ella is not a goal for me, so I stopped the 12 keys on every tune thing. I'm happy doing instrumental gigs with my little group of jazz friends.

[DawgBone]

Not sure how I should approach this since I always tune a half step down. Pretty much everything I play is in a flat key. The older I get the more I hate standard tuning.

[sgosnell]

The difference between D and Db is one fret.

[Stringswinger]

Generally, I am good with all 12 keys but the following holds true for me:

Tunes that I have mostly played in the standard key are tough on me if the key called is a long way (more than 3 frets up or down) away from the standard key.

Tunes called a half step away (up or down) from the standard key mess with my ear. Playing "There will Never Be Another You" in D just doesn't sound right to me.

[pauln]

...obligatory talking about keys...

[Strat-itis]

Yes, the key imparts a unique color on the music to me. I can recognize some of them even tho I don't have perfect pitch.

[AllanAllen]

...obligatory talking about keys...

Obligatory reply…

[John A.]

I never thought key had any effect on me, but I am finding over and over again my favorite pieces are the same key. Not a rare key, but still. We can leave out of the discussion keys that fit well on guitar or other instruments (and don't say it's inseparable either); only aurally speaking.

I don't really know. Most of time for me, choice of key is driven by something other than my (hypothetical) preference -- e.g., the vocalist (which is sometimes me), what key the other players know it in and/or the degree to which they're attached to playing it in the "standard" key, and guitaristic concerns. When I learn a new tune, I play it in the keys of the versions I find and/or the "standard" jazz key; I don't seek out the key I think is right for me.

So if I actually do have some internal subjective feeling about keys, I've never really identified it or built music around it. If I just pick up the guitar to noodle or try to write something, I tend to gravitate toward the middle of the fretboard, so G through Eb, but I couldn't tell you whether that's an aural or digital preference. I suspect the aural and the digital are actually inseparable for me, but I won't say it.

[Cunamara]

In terms of playing music, I have two keys I really prefer: F major and G minor. I don't know why, I'm just really comfortable in those keys. If I have to sing something, G minor in particular works pretty well for me but that's probably due to having an extremely limited vocal range and a terrible voice.

When listening to music, I couldn't tell you by ear what key anything is in. I don't have that kind of discrimination, unfortunately. I'm always amazed by people who can can hear things like "oh that, they're in A minor." For many people- most of you here- this is trivial

[joe2758]

So, I'm going through a Chopin phase. He liked flat keys because of how they fit on the keyboard, and because I play in basically E, A, D, G, C, F and their minors his sound so sweet to me. However to follow his example of keys that fit his instrument I would be more correct to continue playing in guitar keys.

I think part of it is I can sense to a degree if something is not within my usual keys. It does seem more pronounced in classical music.

[Mick-7]

I like to use open strings in solo guitar arrangements, which makes me partial to keys like C, D, A, E major, etc.

Blue In Green - A minor

[AllanAllen]

I like to use open strings in solo guitar arrangements, which makes me partial to keys like C, D, A, E major, etc.

Blue In Green - A minor

Really nice take, the playing is good but I have some thoughts about the presentation.

Are you recording direct? There is a lot of buzz in there. I don't have advice to fix the buzz, but it mars an otherwise great recording.

If you download a program called shotcut you can drop the wav over a still image export it as a video, then upload to youtube. A little more work on the back end, but easier for people to listen to.

[Mick-7]

Thank you Allan. That's an old recording done on my old Zoom recorder (direct line in to my amp). I rarely use it these days, but I did learn how to correct the hiss/buzz recording issue I had with it (thanks to advice from forum members)

I may start using it again because I can do 4 track recording on it which would be useful.

[rpjazzguitar]

I'm not sure that the key affects how I perceive the general sound.

But, I am influenced by the fact that some things I do are note-name dependent and I'm more automatic in keys with fewer sharps or flats. I drill it, but some difference persists.

So, I end up thinking about, say, C vs Db more differently than I imagine some pattern-based players might.

In chord melody I think about open strings. I like the sound and I like the options to let notes ring. Roughly speaking, I find useful open strings in C G D A E, some in B and F#. Not so much in Gb Db or Ab (although the open G is useful in Ab). Eb Bb and F are good.

Now and then I see something like 7 sharps or flats. I don't know why. I imagine there's a reason. I'd rather read in Db than C#.

[Mick-7]

Attached are some open string chord voicings I compiled....

Unfortunately the app I used for the chord diagrams does not label open strings so you should presume that unmarked strings are open unless it does not make harmonic or sonic sense for them to be so (not counting the "Derek Bailey" tone clusters).

[rpjazzguitar]

An excellent source for open string chords is the series of song books by Almir Chediak. There are a number of them, all covering Brazilian music, afaik. Lead sheets with the guitar chord grids up front.

Lots of very clever voicings and you can see and play the context for each.

[woodpecker]

In the 18th and 19th century some composers characterised keys with certain attributes , a flat minor as being "sadest", c major as the kings key and so on.
there must be a list by Berlioz(??)
But this was even then not generally accepted.
Consider that concert pitch was ca. 420Hz in 1800 and is now 442 in most orchestras , that means Mozart `s c is c# today and tommorrow we go to the stars and some believe an a is at 432 Hz (it`s the planets!)
Some instruments and/or styles favor certain keys: most classic boogie woogies are in c and l would not try to play in a.
sax, tb, tp are transposing, thus prefering flat keys.
Classical/orchestral guitar is easier if you have open strings .Those without fear can try Garoto`s "Nosso Choro" (GSP-61) and have a lot of fun, or a short instrumental by Joao Gilberto where you will learn to love open strings. Smith-Brindle did a collection of pieces in all keys and you need to play g flat , which is NOT f sharp as every classical fiddler will tell you, because fretpositions are a compromise. Not forgetting the baroque tempers....
Confused?
l`d like to hear the orange-toupet-man`s opinion is this case, he will tell the truth.

[Christian Miller]

In the 18th and 19th century some composers characterised keys with certain attributes , a flat minor as being "sadest", c major as the kings key and so on.
there must be a list by Berlioz(??)
But this was even then not generally accepted.
Consider that concert pitch was ca. 420Hz in 1800 and is now 442 in most orchestras , that means Mozart `s c is c# today and tommorrow we go to the stars and some believe an a is at 432 Hz (it`s the planets!)
Some instruments and/or styles favor certain keys: most classic boogie woogies are in c and l would not try to play in a.
sax, tb, tp are transposing, thus prefering flat keys.
Classical/orchestral guitar is easier if you have open strings .Those without fear can try Garoto`s "Nosso Choro" (GSP-61) and have a lot of fun, or a short instrumental by Joao Gilberto where you will learn to love open strings. Smith-Brindle did a collection of pieces in all keys and you need to play g flat , which is NOT f sharp as every classical fiddler will tell you, because fretpositions are a compromise. Not forgetting the baroque tempers....
Confused?
l`d like to hear the orange-toupet-man`s opinion is this case, he will tell the truth.

Tuning varied from city to city AFAIK. Mannheim had a different pitch standard to Vienna.

I understand some of the character of the different keys came from the unequal well temperaments used at that time, so more distant keys had less ‘perfect’ intervals even though they were all usable.


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[DanielleOM]

I find I am sensitive to changes in key. If I have to change the key to suit my vocal range I will often try to just go up or down in the cycle from the original key.

EG If the original tune is in Eb I will try Bb or Ab first.