[Iain Churches[_2_]]

wrote in message
...

The chap is a musicologist and teacher (guitar)
We discussed amongst other things the importance of key
signatures not only to the players (no one wants their part
to be in seven sharps, C# major:-) but aso in the way the
tune "sounds" Flat keys, Eb, Bb are often preferred for
jazz.

The way you work with that is to have transposing instruments so
music is read in one key and played in another.

Yes. I am familiar with transposition. I have a diploma in music:-)
But the crux of the conversation was that certain types of
music sound better in certain keys. For example bright
piano etudes (Chopin etc) sound good in sharp keys, E maj
and B major.

The composer/arranger not only has to pick a key which
suits the composition but will be a "fluent" key for the instruments
that he intends to use. Listen to Jean Sibelius, in particular
the way he writes for French horns!

But as mentioned earlier most guitarists prefer E + A major.
That puts the tenor saxophone in F# major a key with six
sharps!

My colleague mentioned also that computer music software
often does strage things. In trying to retain the "integrity" of the
concert pitch key, it transposes while intelligently taking note of
the accidentals used in the part. So that if a part written in D
major concert has many flattened accidentals it may be transribed
into a flat key Cb for alto saxophone (wth seven flats) In practical
terms no such key exists!


Transposing pianos
were actually somewhat common in the very late nineteenth and early
twentieth century, though it is popularly supposed Irving Berlin had
the only one.

Certainly not the ony one. British composer Lionel Bart who wrote
pop songs such as "Livin' Doll" for Cliff Richard, and the theme music
for James Bond "From Russia with Love" plus the musicals "Oliver"
and "Blitz") had such a piano. It was said that he could play in only
one key, and used the shifting action of the piano to modulate to
a new key. I saw this piano a few times when it was brought to
Decca for Lionel Bart to put down demos.

It's also of note that Chuck Berry dimed himself out by revealing
that his classic signature tunes were his lyrics, but the music of
pianist Johnnie Johnson...as Keith Richards even (as ever) in a THC
haze correctly surmmised, Eb. Bb, were piano keys,"..Johnnie's keys".

Interesting. I once read a retrospective article by bass-player Eddie
Calhoun, who played with pianist Erroll Garner for a many years.
Garner could not read. All keys were the same to him, and he could
play equally well in any of them. Calhoun told that there were about
25 songs in the concert repertoire, which they played every night.
However, Erroll Garner never played them in the same order, or
even in the same key! Calhoun said that he used to have to listen
very intently and join in a split secodnd after the first note, having
established the key. Sometimes, Garner would play an intro, and
the modulate into a new key at the start of the verse where the
rhythm section were supposed to come in.

Ain't music fun:-))

Iain