[Dixielandjazz] Lots of Flats and Sharps.

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Dec 5, 2009, at 3:00 PM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

> Charlie Hull <charlie at easysounds.com> wrote:
>
> 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.

Right on Charlie:

I first learned clarinet by playing the scales and chords in all keys.  
Then the blues in all keys. So I got pretty familiar with A, E, D. But  
on gigs in the intervening 60 years, I hardly ever played in the sharp  
keys. Certainly in the last 40 years, I never played in them.

But then, last night I had a Christmas Jazz Gig as a sideman with a  
band that has 2 guitars, one doubling on mandolin, a violin, a bass  
and me on clarinet. They sent me a song list with 8 carols. One was in  
A and Two more had modulations into D and E.

When they asked me if I would come to a rehearsal, (first time gig  
with this band) I jumped at the chance. Then I had to woodshed for a  
few hours over several days to get my mind and fingers back to those  
keys.

Like anything else, Charlie is spot on about practicing in all keys.  
Then, if you can improvise in the flat keys, you can easily improvise  
in the sharp keys once you are comfortable with them.

As an aside, when ever Bird wanted to get rid of a sit in on the  
stand, he would call Cherokee in E. That will separate the men from  
the boys in a hurry. <grin>

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband