[Dixielandjazz] Keys (trombone)

[Bryan Livett]

Yo Jimbo:  Most of my playing these days is with a small trombone-led jazz
group playing standards and is heavy on vocals..... I transpose the charts
to keys I can sing AND play the trombone on: (think "Embraceable You" in Bb,
"I Can't Get Started" in Eb, "Night and Day" in F) but also includes many
"original key" tunes in G, C and Db, even D ("Wave").

When I played in a blues band most of the tunes were in "guitar" keys and I
had to get around in A, E, D, G and C.  Like most trombonists I drew the
line at B... I think only Frank Rosolino would call a tune in B.  So
consequently I became familiar and comfortable with those keys.
Incidentally, I had a Holton Superbone for a while and I found it to be very
useful since it has valves AND a slide; hold down the first valve and play
in Bb with the slide and, viola, you're playing in A, etc.

Cheers

Bryan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Kashishian" <kash at ran.es>
To: <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Friday, October 24, 2003 4:36 AM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Keys, in general


>
> >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
>
>
>
>
>
>
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