Jump to content
Gibson Brands Forums

Key to success...?


LesBonfire

Recommended Posts

Curious about what key most of you guys end up playing in while jammin blues/rock? Do you usually stick to one? Do you play what the singer can handle with his voice? Do you vary from Eb to B, A etc...? I wanna keep an open mind with my playing so I don't wanna sound the same everytime...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cb is the shnizzle for blues sizzle.

 

(Actually find most blues tunes I do are in E or A. However, I tune down a half step. I'm fond of B for improvising - which is Bb since I'm tuned down. For slide I tune to open Eb so I like that key a lot obviously if that guitar is in my hands).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Blues keys are very dependent on the accompanyment. A guitar band will generally stick to E,A,D. Add a sax player and those keys become F,Bb,C. Horn and piano players like Eb for some reason. A harmonica player will want to play in whatever keys he has harps in, or whatever harps don't have the reeds all stuck together with stale beer.

 

The style of blues will also dictate the key. Shuffle type blues will be in the "guitar" keys for use of the open strings. Swing and jump blues, which are much more jazz oriented, will generally be in the horn keys, for as in jazz, you don't want to have to play any open strings.

 

As for success, generally everything Albert King ever played was in the same key, same for John Lee Hooker. So who's to say, I'm the one writing on the guitar forum.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

side note------anyone that uses a CAPO has ZERO respect from me. We did a 'acoustic idol' contest a few months ago' date=' and the guy that went after us uses the line 'okay this song is in the key of....um....ah.......5!'

 

[/quote']

 

I wish I'd known that before I got my capo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...