[DarrellMass]

Does it matter if you play a tune in the key it was written in? I usually just learn a song in the key that it comes into my mind in. If it is too difficult to play in that key, I change it to a key that avoids the difficulty I encountered in the other key. But basically, I never know what key it was written in. I play alone, so other than the fact that some songs might be written in easier keys to play, is there any other reason to worry about it?

 

[lesacks]

You've got me at a bad moment!
I'm learning Pachelbel Cannon in D - and am trying to get it in concert, on the Alto - so, B. And you have to do G -> B... I think I've sprained a finger!

Of course I don't have to. No one cares but me. It's a learning experience...

 

[rhythmisking]

I'm assuming you're learning songs completely by ear, which in and of itself is not a bad thing at all as far as ear training. Is it easy for you to play a song in a different key than the one you originally learned it in?

 

[JayeLID]

Does it matter if you play a tune in the key it was written in? I play alone, so other than the fact that some songs might be written in easier keys to play, is there any other reason to worry about it?

No, not really.....and....No, not really. At least not in genres such as jazz, pop, blues, rock, etc. The only reason it'd matter is if you are in a band and the band is playing it in a certain key. Or you are accompanying a singer who sings it in 'their' key, etc...
Or if the backing tracks available are only readily available in certain keys.

It IS good practice, FWIW, to take a tune you know well in a certain key and then learn it in another key, or two....just keeps your musical mind sharp....

 

[Pete Thomas]

Does it matter if you play a tune in the key it was written in?

No

I play alone, so other than the fact that some songs might be written in easier keys to play, is there any other reason to worry about it?

No.

It only matters if you want to play it with other people. In that case I would advise that you play it in the same key as everyone else.

 

[ZootTheSim]

Yesterday, I was at my pianist's place adding clarinet parts to some new songs he's written. A couple were originally in terrible keys that gave me arthritis, so we tried a few different keys for each song to see what worked for us both and sounded best.

Of course, some keys are simply sadder than others.

 

[lydian]

No

It only matters if you want to play it with other people. In that case I would advise that you play it in the same key as everyone else.

... unless you're Lee Konitz or Warne Marsh.

But seriously, why not take the opportunity to learn it in the more difficult original key? You'll build technique and be able to play along with recordings.

You really only grow when you practice things you CAN'T do already.

 

[lydian]

No

It only matters if you want to play it with other people. In that case I would advise that you play it in the same key as everyone else.

... unless you're Lee Konitz or Warne Marsh.

But seriously, why not take the opportunity to learn it in the more difficult original key? You'll build technique and be able to play along with recordings.

You really only grow when you practice things you CAN'T do already.

 

[turf3]

In jazz, pop, country (in other words, the non-classical "popular" musics) people and bands vary widely on how they feel about keys of tunes. There are a lot of people who insist that such and such a tune "IS IN B FLAT" and then there are others who just ask "what key?" Of course singers have to find a key for a song that allows them to sing it within their range. In rock and roll there are some songs (fewer than many people would have you believe, but they're out there) where the "signature lick" was composed on guitar or bass and is easily played using specific open strings, but darn near unplayable in other keys because you can't rely on the open strings.

Personally, I think being prepared to play tunes in whatever key is a lot more adaptable and practical than insisting on some one true key. Heck, I'll even call C Jam blues in Bb if I feel like it!

 

[swperry1]

I play one off gigs with singers a lot lately and it’s up to their range what key they call a tune in or it will suffer. If you know how to play the melody in any key it makes it easier to create lines and hobble gob between their phrases, and gives you a foundation for your solo...especially if you don’t have the luxury of ireal or something similar to at least have the changes to follow.

Playing solo the key obviously matters less, but some tunes just don’t fit well range-wise, and we all have certain keys we favor for many reasons including technique or how a certain key feels. Anyway, Learning a least the head in all the keys by ear is quality ear training and connection to your horn/ muscle memory that makes executing spontaneous ideas happen a lot more easily when you’re flowing. Why rob yourself of vocabulary?

 

[lostcircuits]

In jazz, pop, country (in other words, the non-classical "popular" musics) people and bands vary widely on how they feel about keys of tunes. There are a lot of people who insist that such and such a tune "IS IN B FLAT" and then there are others who just ask "what key?" Of course singers have to find a key for a song that allows them to sing it within their range. In rock and roll there are some songs (fewer than many people would have you believe, but they're out there) where the "signature lick" was composed on guitar or bass and is easily played using specific open strings, but darn near unplayable in other keys because you can't rely on the open strings.

Personally, I think being prepared to play tunes in whatever key is a lot more adaptable and practical than insisting on some one true key. Heck, I'll even call C Jam blues in Bb if I feel like it!

That's why even a lot of professional guitar/bass players often tune down their instruments 1/2 step and then compensate by using heavier gauge strings. Really got me once when I was asked to sit in on "Can't find my way home", which I could play with my eyes closed but especially 1/2 step throws you off and when you look at the guitar player and his fingering is just standard it's like ***?

And of course, they have bar clamps as well -- oh yea, let's please just change a C to Eb. Some songs it really doesn't matter but there are others that go through a lot of key changes and then the vocalist decides not to sing in the native key but in the second harmonic (because it's chic) and the bartender decides to shake a drink in a different rhythm :evil:

 

[swperry1]

Ah, The capo crutch. I guess it’s cool to only learn a few chord shapes and be able to magically transpose, but it sucks when you’re in the situation where you’re playing with someone and ask the key or a specific chord and they answer without considering the transposition...like they’ll say G major even though the capo’s on the fourth fret and the I chord they’re calling G major is actually a B major.

 

[ZootTheSim]

Someone should invent a sax capo--a Klamp-bogen, if you will.

 

[swperry1]

Someone should invent a sax capo--a Klamp-bogen, if you will.

ROFL!
I play with a guy sometimes who uses a keyboard that can transpose. He plays games with himself where he'll do things like make it so his fingers are playing in the same key for a whole set. Messes with me because I can't peek over and know the key from just looking at his root movements.

 

[skeller047]

It only matters if you want to play it with other people. In that case I would advise that you play it in the same key as everyone else.

Not always even then. I recall in the mid 70's hanging out in Honolulu (I had a 6 week gig there) with Jimmy Borges at his little club. We would go there after our gig ended at 1 AM, often invited to jam until 4 AM or so. His pianist was the wonderful Betty Loo Taylor, and they had a real rapport. They had a wonderful uptempo arrangement of "Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead".

One night, as they were going to the last chorus, Jimmy pointed up (meaning, let's take it up a step) and Betty Loo just looked at him and shook her head. So Jimmy modulated up 1/2 step .... and Betty did not They finished the tune that way. It was hilarious, and a real testament to both musicianship and stubbornness.

DarrellMass, you should probably KNOW the original key for tunes you play, but there is no rule you have to use it. Some tunes have a few different keys that people commonly use (like Green Dolphin St, for example, commonly played in both C and Eb). And sometimes the original key of the tune is not what most people play it in, so flexibility is key (sorry, couldn't resist...)

 

[notes_norton]

Since I gig for a living, I learn the tunes in the best key for the vocalist - within reason. Both Leilani and I share the singing fun.

When I say within reason, if the best vocal key is C#/Db then C or D would be better. But then sometimes a song sounds better in a more difficult key, so that's where we end up.

To us, it's all about making the song the best that we can make it so as to give the audience the best experience that we can.

Insights and incites by Notes

 

[randulo]

Many great comments here, but I didn't see this: Range can be an issue. I was playing along with Sentimental Mood in F on alto. In that key, there are not many lower notes to go to, unless you play the bridge an octave down or something. Using a fuller range is sometimes helped by moving the key. Also, the actual important long notes may not have the sound you want in a particular key. And finally, certain things like grace notes, tremolos, falls, altissimo might be better in some keys. Even on a guitar, where you can move the same chord or scale up and down with identical fingering, there are many tunes that rely on open strings for their unique harmony. The saxophone has a few similar limits, like the break. Where it is in a particular phrase can influence the sound of the melody.

 

[DarrellMass]

I'm assuming you're learning songs completely by ear, which in and of itself is not a bad thing at all as far as ear training. Is it easy for you to play a song in a different key than the one you originally learned it in?

Yes, I learn and play completely by ear. I don't know about "easy," but I have a couple of songs I've learned in more than one key. Usually, that's been because I just couldn't overcome the problem with an interval, or two.

 

[DarrellMass]

No, not really.....and....No, not really. At least not in genres such as jazz, pop, blues, rock, etc. The only reason it'd matter is if you are in a band and the band is playing it in a certain key. Or you are accompanying a singer who sings it in 'their' key, etc...
Or if the backing tracks available are only readily available in certain keys.

It IS good practice, FWIW, to take a tune you know well in a certain key and then learn it in another key, or two....just keeps your musical mind sharp....

Ya, don't I know it, George, but I consider myself lucky to get one key under my belt! When I first decided to try to learn to play tenor, my hopes were to maybe eventually get to where I could go out busking, again, but I'm not so sure I'll get that far. Time will tell!

 

[DarrellMass]

No

No.

It only matters if you want to play it with other people. In that case I would advise that you play it in the same key as everyone else.

Good advice, of course, as George also alluded to. The thing is, when a tune just suddenly pops into my mind, it comes to me in whatever key my brain presents it in. If I don't start figuring it out, right away, it's gone forever. So for that reason, I learn songs in what may be considered bizarre keys.