[Dixielandjazz] Re: Dixielandjazz digest, Vol 1 #355 - 17 msgs

Wed, 4 Dec 2002 16:10:50 EST

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In a message dated 12/4/2002 3:22:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
dixielandjazz-request@ml.islandnet.com writes:

> Listmates, especially you keyboard players,
> 
> What is it about the key of F? I find it a very comfortable key also.
> Dan Spink chimes in again:

When I first learned to play the piano by ear, despite my then piano 
teacher's attempts to totally discourage such unprofessional behavior, I 
started playing in the key of C because, at the time, that seemed to be the 
easiest key to see, find and understand the chords. Later I learned that the 
piano keyboard was designed to be a key of "C" keyboard--meaning that the 
diatonic (major) scale can be played on all the white keys if you start and 
end on "C." It was only my playing in Dixie bands that forced me to learn the 
flat keys; i.e., F, Bb, Eb and Ab. God forbid someone tried to play or read 
in Db . Pretty soon F and Bb got easy. Then I met a piano man who asked me 
why I didn't play everything in Db. I said it was too hard to learn and he 
claimed just the opposite. It's easy if you just think a half step up from C 
all the time. I've never mastered it fully but everything does sound better 
in the key of Db on piano. It has to do with the way Bach designed the 
keyboard. All the notes are supposed to be equally distanced but they're not 
really. I was also told that Irving Berlin had a piano that transposed to the 
key of Db when he played in C. I don't know if that's true, but it makes a 
cute story to support my theory that Db sounds the best on the piano.

Dan (piano fingers) Spink

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<HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><BODY BGCOLOR="#3dffff"><FONT  SIZE=2>In a message dated 12/4/2002 3:22:48 PM Eastern Standard Time, dixielandjazz-request@ml.islandnet.com writes:<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE TYPE=CITE style="BORDER-LEFT: #0000ff 2px solid; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px">Listmates, especially you keyboard players,<BR>
<BR>
What is it about the key of F? I find it a very comfortable key also.<BR>
Dan Spink chimes in again:</FONT><FONT  COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #3dffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="arial" LANG="0"></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #3dffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="Arial" LANG="0"><BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #3dffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="arial" LANG="0">When I first learned to play the piano by ear, despite my then piano teacher's attempts to totally discourage such unprofessional behavior, I started playing in the key of C because, at the time, that seemed to be the easiest key to see, find and understand the chords. Later I learned that the piano keyboard was designed to be a key of "C" keyboard--meaning that the diatonic (major) scale can be played on all the white keys if you start and end on "C." It was only my playing in Dixie bands that forced me to learn the flat keys; i.e., F, Bb, Eb and Ab. God forbid someone tried to play or read in Db . Pretty soon F and Bb got easy. Then I met a piano man who asked me why I didn't play everything in Db. I said it was too hard to learn and he claimed just the opposite. It's easy if you just think a half step up from C all the time. I've never mastered it fully but everything does sound better in the key of Db on piano. It has to do with the way Bach designed the keyboard. All the notes are supposed to be equally distanced but they're not really. I was also told that Irving Berlin had a piano that transposed to the key of Db when he played in C. I don't know if that's true, but it makes a cute story to support my theory that Db sounds the best on the piano.<BR>
<BR>
Dan (piano fingers) Spink<BR>
</FONT><FONT  COLOR="#000000" style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #3dffff" SIZE=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF" FACE="arial" LANG="0"><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</FONT></HTML>
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