[Dixielandjazz] Piano in key of B

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

When I was in college in South East Missouri I played with a lot of country 
bands.  There were several of them that pitch had no relation to anything. 
They had no idea that A should be 440.  Each gig was an adventure.  They 
never tuned the guitars to the same pitch.  Tunes were always in a different 
key than they had been the night before.

That gave me a whole lot of experience in playing in keys that were often 
hard.

All in all I think it did me a lot of good.  Normally you don't play in F# 
or B, to name a couple, very often.  I think it improved my ear.
Larry
StL
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Charlie Coleman" <charliew8fim at verizon.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 10:12 PM
Subject: [Dixielandjazz] Piano in key of B


>
>
> Hi Listees - Just returned from playing a veterans day program at a local 
> nursing home.   The piano was an old studio box but was in perfect tune 
> (with itself) in the key of B, down a half step.   I've run across a few 
> of these before, so I think it's common with older pianos.    I learned 
> scales on the fly that I never knew existed!   Well I did, but being a 
> week-end warrior I really never practiced them much.   The piano player 
> was competent, but strictly a reader so couldn't help me compensate on the 
> sax.   Wonder how some of the horn players on the list handle a situation 
> like that.    Whomever tuned the piano was careful enough when he brought 
> it down to make sure it was an even half-step and not somewhere in the 
> crack.    I'm too near the run-off grove to spend a lot of time practicing 
> keys that I'll never use that much.   Should have started 50 years ago. 
> :-(       Thanks for your suggestions.    Charlie (Let's hear it again in 
> G-flat)  Coleman
>
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