[Dixielandjazz] Lots of flats or sharps

[Charlie Hull]

I think that players who have trouble with the sharp keys haven't 
practiced or played enough in those keys to gain the familiarity and 
confidence they have with the flat keys.

My first gigs when I began playing back in my high school days were 
country and western swing dances. The guitarists and fiddlers played a 
lot in D, A and E to get the open string sounds. I played in those keys 
so much that I've never had a problem with them. When I started playing 
jazz I had to learn Ab and Db.

I hear horn players say they can't improvise in sharp keys, yet they 
have no problem with the standards that change to a sharp key in the bridge.

It's a good idea when learning a song to practice it in several keys, 
especially if you frequently back singers or your band often raises the 
key for the outchorus.

Charlie Hull


Ken Gates wrote:
> As a closet clarinet player, I understand the awkward fingering of the scales
> of keys with 5 or 6 sharps or flats.  Where is the difficulty of the trumpet
> player in those keys?  The 3 fingers involved don't look difficult as I look at
> a fingering chart---it surely must be awkward changes in lip/tongue etc
> positions?  Is that it?
>
>
>