What's your favorite / least favorite key?

straycat82 · Post by **straycat82** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:17 pm

Guinness wrote:
straycat82 wrote:
Guinness wrote:Expressing one's dis/like of a particular key signature is kind of pointless given that all twelve are musically equivalent in an even temperament context.
So they all sound the same then? All set the same mood?
I stand by my statement (notice how I had not mentioned the word whistle). Obviously whistles do not all sound (or play) the same. Gotta love value-subtracted responses.

Notice how I said nothing about whistles?
You said that all 12 key sigs are musically equivalent.
I asked you, then, if they all sound the same and set the same mood. It sounds to me like you are suggesting that the key of G has no different sound than the key of A minor, hence my question.
Value-subtracted responses indeed.

Guinness · Post by **Guinness** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 6:00 pm

straycat82 wrote:
Guinness wrote:
straycat82 wrote: So they all sound the same then? All set the same mood?
I stand by my statement (notice how I had not mentioned the word whistle). Obviously whistles do not all sound (or play) the same. Gotta love value-subtracted responses.
Notice how I said nothing about whistles?
You said that all 12 key sigs are musically equivalent.
I asked you, then, if they all sound the same and set the same mood. It sounds to me like you are suggesting that the key of G has no different sound than the key of A minor, hence my question.
Value-subtracted responses indeed.

Key signature vs Key or Relative Key. Key signatures are a notational convenience (number of sharps or flats) which by themselves do not define the tonic or tonal center of a piece of music. All 15 (I'll take a hit for that one) diatonic key signatures are musically equivalent. I never suggested the different modes don't sound different.

My point is the original question was improperly framed and thus PhilO's subsequent thread.

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 8:13 pm

Guinness wrote:Expressing one's dis/like of a particular key signature is kind of pointless given that all twelve are musically equivalent in an even temperament context.

yes, but putting aside even temperament, for celtic traditions I would prefer a whistle in a just intoned E Dorian .....

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Tue Oct 28, 2008 10:27 pm

straycat82 wrote: It sounds to me like you are suggesting that the key of G has no different sound than the key of A minor, hence my question.
Value-subtracted responses indeed.

Rather, I took the direct meaning of what Guinness said, and it distils like this:
every diatonic scale is just that because its interval relationships are the same as every other diatonic scale.
So to fix up your comparison G/Emin key, value wise rather than pitch wise, is the same as C/Amin key etc etc

So, if I were a drinker I'd order more Guinness ......

whistlegal · Post by **whistlegal** » Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:11 pm

My favorite - Low F. Least favorite - High G

Key_of_D · Post by **Key_of_D** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 5:23 am

Hm, interesting thread. To be quite honest, my least favorite keyed whistle, is D. Why? Tired of playing it in sessions and what not. When home by myself, I spend most of my whistle time playing C, B, or Eb every once in a while. I play uilleann pipes too, and although I love playing them more then anything else, D just isn't the butter on my bread much these days... I'd love to have a C or B set if I could. I'm a mood player, so I tend to pick up whichever whistle I feel like at that given time-save for sessions of course, then it's back to the workhorse of D major.

As far as musical Keys, go, hah, shouldn't my profile name say it all. Neh... Although it is a bright key, I'd say maybe my next favorite key in Irish trad is possibly B minor... Sad, mad, it's all bad, but who cares Mom, I love trad!

BigDavy · Post by **BigDavy** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:59 am

Hi Key_of_D

You are definitely right, flat sets do sound better than D sets.

As to favourite keys, well I like low F and A-C on soprano whistles.

David

Key_of_D · Post by **Key_of_D** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:22 pm

Low F is very nice, I've only played a Chieftain and a Burke once or twice, but I didn't want to drop either instrument.

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 1:55 pm

Isn't it odd that nobody has mentioned the key to the executive washroom?

MTGuru · Post by **MTGuru** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:00 pm

Francis Scott Key, Key Luke, Key West, Tur-key ...

Key_of_D · Post by **Key_of_D** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:11 pm

How about my car keys... I'm always misplacing them...

Denny · Post by **Denny** » Sat Nov 01, 2008 2:51 pm

mmmmm turkey!!!

I knew a guy that went by Lowkey once (spelling looks wrong

)
not to be confused with keylow (yep....twice)

Adrian · Post by **Adrian** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:42 pm

Low F, A, B, Bb are my favourites (esp if they are my Overtons) D, Eb and higher are my least liked keys.

riverman · Post by **riverman** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 1:24 pm

Bb is my absolute favorite! I love descending into that Bb note.

But then I tried a low A...

MORE Whoa, blast it!!