[Dixielandjazz] Keys, in general

[James Kashishian]

>I personally don't like playing in C. Do prefer Bb, Eb,Ab. Or F.
>Must be my limited musical skills !
>Peter De Bruyn Sr

Peter, it's not "limited musical skills", rather a matter of "doing it
often".  If you played in C a lot, it would become more comfortable.
Same thing goes for "them guitar keys"!.  I've known trombonists that
gigged all the time with guitar based bands and manage quite well in
those keys.  

As an interesting fact to add, though......if you play along with any
Chicago recordings (the group, not the city!), you will find that their
songs that are mainly guitar based are in the sharp keys, while the ones
that are heavy on the brass are "in OUR keys".  Goes to show that the
brass feel more comfortable in those keys.  Doesn't mean the others
can't be played, but why should they if the horn moves more comfortably
around the flatter keys?

I mentioned, in an earlier post on Flamenco Jazz, a good friend of mine,
the Spanish tenor saxophonist Pedro Iturralde.  Well, I've seen Pedro
practice his sax at home.....sight reading classical violin music.  When
I asked him why, he said "for practice".  Some people are like that, and
want to keep themselves "on their toes".  It's not the common practice,
though.  If you have a lot of gigs with a Dixieland band, then a
trombonist is going to be quite good in the flat keys......less in the
sharps.  

La Canal tries to keep all our songs in their original keys, but do play
some differently.....by mistake, or by chance, and even by choice.  I
will prefer a certain key for a solo ballad, perhaps, to get the song up
into the upper range of the horn where I prefer it to sit.....out of
preference, only.  It should be my choice, as an artist, shouldn't it?
Doesn't mean I might not like to play the same tune in a key that puts
the song in the cellar if I'm in the mood.  In both cases, I will
automatically choose to play in keys that have few sharps for the
reasons above.

Jim