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As a keys player. Been on my every key program for almost 3 years coming up this fall. I also noticed an improvement in my general proficiency apart from individual keys improving.
All I do is play in 1 major key and its parallel minor for a few days and then go up a half step. I play all my material in that key. If the tune is too hard, I'll deviate and work the tune in its original key. I started with just blues and super easy tunes but eventually got better and better to where it wasn't too hard to work most stuff in any key. I tried to transpose Donna but that was too hard and I just did it in Ab. A side benefit is the different keys sound differently and it freshens things up to play tunes in different keys.
I highly recommend the program! It's easier to transpose on guitar too so no reason not to!
In addition to working every key, there is also working every tempo, which I'm a big fan of.
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05-05-2024 05:16 PM
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Are you transposing using books (notation or lead sheets) or by ear? I mean, where in the spectrum from sight reading to full internalization do you elect to take a tune through every key?
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I think I’m going to slow down the new songs for my band and start to transpose and get off the page for everything. We are at 46 songs. Once we hit 50, by end of this month, I’m going to really focus on getting off iReal and only add things when I don’t need to look at the sheet.
Which is to say. I’m going to do your process to internalize them differently.
To reply to Paul, I will use a page for the first key, then mentally transpose for the others. Ideally I want to learn changes by ear and have no page until I make my own sheet for the band. Can’t expect them to know my obscure calls.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
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^ Yep. But why are all jazz songs only in half the keys? :P
Originally Posted by pauln
Originally Posted by AllanAllenLast edited by Bobby Timmons; 05-06-2024 at 01:32 AM.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
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Originally Posted by AllanAllen
Orchestral music is all in F through E because those are the keys that are better for strings.
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Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
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Goodbye in F# minor mofos!
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Congratulations! Bill Evans first tenet, practice in all 12 keys.
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Thx! Yes, I think it's pretty helpful and actually somewhat important.
Last edited by Bobby Timmons; 05-06-2024 at 09:02 PM.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
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Thanks. The Leslie is broken because I broke it when I rage quit the organ haha.
Yeah F# minor is convenient on guitar. But jazz keys players neglect the guitar keys. I like playing in them because they sound interesting.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
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Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
well in improvisation.
Some players find a key too difficult or deem it not necessary for whatever reasons..but at some point discover
they need to find a workaround to bypass the inherent harmonic content in that key.
My teacher stressed that while some keys may have difficult fingering patterns for some chords..learning the diatonic forms
and their inversions in all positions will show relative harmonic relationships with other keys that are much easier to play.
and in doing so finding the melodic top note in chord melody structures reinforces voicings in the middle and bass movement
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Originally Posted by Mick-7
Last edited by Bobby Timmons; 05-07-2024 at 08:50 PM.
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Here's my method.
Start by figuring out the key of the song, so you have 7 notes to pick from instead of 12.
Now, if the time for practice and the time I had access to my stereo overlapped I would find what the bass is playing on bar 1 beat 1. But, the only time I can focus is after the kids are asleep so I learn tunes off my iphone speaker. So.... I look for the pointy notes, the one that sticks out the most in the voicing. This is usually something on the B string for me, I dunno why, maybe that's the good frequency band for the 1/8" speaker in my phone.
So, now I'll have one note. From this I just go down a major third and see what it sounds like. It either sounds okay, right or bad. Adjust from here. Once I have two notes I can usually tell what the chord is. Also, by now I'm sick of it and move on to something else.
If I had a computer with monitors I would figure out soundslice and loop things. That would be easier than scrolling back on my iphone. At least youtube you can double tap and go back 10 seconds. Which is too many, 5 would be ideal for transcribing.
Anyway, it's a long process, but if you can hear a blues, you can hear a I vi ii V. Just keep at it, the only way to get better is to not quit.
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Originally Posted by AllanAllen
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pauln program?
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
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Haha, just using metaphysical aural intuition? I have some of that ability. It's just a pain the ear work taking forever and then not being able to be totally accurate at my level. But I think I may as well get after it with the trying to comprehend everything aurally. The forum doesn't let you slack.
Last edited by Bobby Timmons; 05-08-2024 at 10:50 PM.
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Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith
The first chord is recognizable to guitarists because it uses the open high E (it's a Dbm11 that can be played as 9 x 9 8 7 0) Db B Eb Fb Gb, so that is enough to get started on guitar or piano. The secret has nothing to do with Db minor being a synthetic key with obnoxious enharmonics...
- listen without your instrument
- transcribe (on instrument) by ear from memory
- repeat full cycles of listening and transcribing from memory
- if you find that the melody is not working with the chords,
that means you're close to discovering the tune's secret and
another step forward in playing by ear.
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I'm effluent in all keys.
Transcriber wanted
Today, 04:35 PM in Improvisation