[roughplanet[_2_]]

"Iain Churches" wrote in message
...

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. 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.

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".
After the two had a falling out the only new song Berry had of note
was the novelty song, "My Ding-A-Ling". That was forty years ago.

My proudest moment as a musician was one night at the Melbourne Town Hall
when I was called up as a replacemet for one of the booked artists who had
arrived drunk.

I had been working on a number of transpositions of classical or
semi-classical pieces from piano/orchestra to, believe it or not, 5-string
banjo. I had just about mastered several, but didn't feel confident enough
to perform them in public.

But when I got on stage, they were all that came into my head, so I
performed 'Jesu, Joy of Mans' Desiring' on the 5-string followed by 'Foggy
Mountain Breakdown'. Sure brought the house down :-).

ruff