Music theory Nerds! What is the best musical key?
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Topic: Music theory Nerds! What is the best musical key?
Posted By: topofsm
Subject: Music theory Nerds! What is the best musical key?
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 00:31
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Now of course all of you are going to say there's really no best key, but we all know that it's subjective so just forget saying that. This is an opinion thread, god forbid!
Personally, IMO minor keys are the best. D minor is probably my favorite (as is it Nigel Tufnel and Tool's favorite key), though the E phrygian mode gives it a good run for its money in terms of darkness. I think C Minor and A Minor are boring and lend themselves to boring melodies, though it might be because of the bands that use them extensively. Also, B flat minor is rather epic, a lot of film score uses it.
What do y'all think? ------------- 
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Replies:
Posted By: Henry Plainview
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 00:34
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But D minor is so cliche! I like the heroism of E Flat Major, but I'm a sucker for grand sweeping gestures. The 1812 Overture alone might be enough for me, but then there's also Eroica and Emperor. Oh man, Marche Slave and Never Gonna Give You Up are in the same key. :( ------------- if you own a sodastream i hate you |
Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 12:37
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Theoretically, Eb minor is in fact the darkest of all keys. However my favourite is probably F minor for a number of reasons.
------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Posted By: Epignosis
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 12:43
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Interestingly, two of the five songs I wrote for my album are in the key of Ab (F minor)...the others were (for the most part, since the key might change) E, A, and C (A minor). On a guitar, the keys of E, A, and D work well for practical purposes. ------------- https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays" rel="nofollow - https://epignosis.bandcamp.com/album/a-month-of-sundays |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 14:27
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H major. But you need an amp that goes up to 11.
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: stonebeard
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 14:29
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I'm not really an expert, but I'll say C#. I screw around on a piano a lot, and I feel I can play almost anything and it will sound good in C#. it's got a futuristic space-jazz quality to it. ------------- http://soundcloud.com/drewagler" rel="nofollow - My soundcloud. Please give feedback if you want! |
Posted By: The Pessimist
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 19:34
Don't you mean B Major?  Baroque speak dude. Although I DO prefer J Major.------------- "Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value." Arnold Schoenberg |
Slartibartfast wrote:Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: December 24 2009 at 19:57
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As long as it's not E I like it. I'm so sick of E that I'm fairly certain my current band has never played in E. On guitar I'll play whatever key, since on string instruments it's all the exact same thing. On organ (or any keys I suppose) I love a good G minor (pentatonic included for all), F,D, C, A. Or Bb Maj, A Maj, or G Maj. On Harmonica Bb (F pent) can't be beat |
Posted By: CPicard
Date Posted: December 25 2009 at 09:16
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The Z key is the best. |
Posted By: Xanthous
Date Posted: December 29 2009 at 10:05
| I usually prefer Major scales but my whole style is just staying on any random scale for a little while than going to any other one. (Bass). |
Posted By: Negoba
Date Posted: December 29 2009 at 10:18
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Well you said music theory nerds so here I go.
I like to play out of the phrygian mode of the harmonic minor scale in E, whatever that's called. It allows Am, Dm, E, F all to be legal chords. So it's really A harmonic minor I guess. I really like having that dominant 7 V chord available in minor.
Actually a pretty boring choice, but I like it. ------------- You are quite a fine person, and I am very fond of you. But you are only quite a little fellow, in a wide world, after all. |
Posted By: klvin
Date Posted: December 29 2009 at 11:35
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Well I don't know, but F major (or same minor)is the key of Close to the Edge, Tarkus, Octavarium... ------------- Close to the Edge analized!!! http://www.yhwh.com/ctte.htm" rel="nofollow - http://www.yhwh.com/ctte.htm |
Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: December 29 2009 at 23:17
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I need to play in more flat keys. I imagine C ,I expect I don't need to explain why. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: December 30 2009 at 04:38
I can't imagine ever needing a whole key. Even a whole chord seems a bit suspicious. In fact I don't see why I should even play a single note when I can make weird buzzing sounds instead. 
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Posted By: topofsm
Date Posted: December 30 2009 at 22:22
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^Of course you'll realize that the buzzing actually probably produces a regular musical tone, though the Hz frequency is probably so low that it's actually a very low note and the sound won't register, at least not for a human.
Of course, maybe wombats like you can hear lower notes, but I wouldn't know. -------------
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Posted By: Vompatti
Date Posted: December 31 2009 at 02:13
| ^ I'm sure I've heard buzzing sounds with no definite frequency. Maybe it's just us wombats who can hear them. |
Posted By: Icarium
Date Posted: December 31 2009 at 11:11
| i like the Chords in Confortably Numb and on bassguitar i like to pump on A ans i like the E minor and the B string on my 5 string Bass dropp D is cool when you play Audioslave and Soundgarden songs |
Posted By: Citizen Erased
Date Posted: December 31 2009 at 11:16
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G Minor is my favourite. Or G. ------------- And lo, the mighty riffage was played and it was good 
<a href="www.last.fm/user/jonzo67" targe |
Posted By: Dim
Date Posted: December 31 2009 at 11:27
D minor is my favorite too, maybe because the actual D minor chord is so sad sounding. I'm one of those lazy guitar players who plays more simple chord structures in drop D rather than faster technical riffs in E standard or whatever you prefer, so that may be why I like the key so much. ------------- 
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Posted By: darkshade
Date Posted: December 31 2009 at 12:23
E is just Fb B is just Cb now playing in more bb or -x- keys more be better! (double flat and double sharp for those who dont know...) ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/MysticBoogy" rel="nofollow - My Last.fm 
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Posted By: himtroy
Date Posted: December 31 2009 at 14:08
Not a boring choice at all I think. The interesting chord progressions underneath make you capable of taking the lead to places you never could've before. Soloing sounds so much more effective in that manner than it does vamping over the one endlessly.
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Posted By: TODDLER
Date Posted: January 04 2010 at 12:27
| I have always enjoyed the key of E minor. When playing all of Andrea Segovia's scales from his book of scales, E minor was the most enjoyable regarding jumping positions. It was easier to develop a clean alternate picking style when using Segovia's E minor scale. I used to play drums when I was a toddler. Ho Ho! The technique I used with the drum stick in my right hand was later applied in a percussive manner with my right handed alternate picking technique on the guitar. Especially using the E minor scale and lifting my right hand completely from the strings however without using the forearm. I developed this way of playing and it proved to be successfully powerful whenever I performed fusion pieces. A strange psychological method to use when you are about to take on a fusion solo, is to imagine you are in a straight jacket. When the time arrives for your improv, you release yourself from the straight jacket and your hands are free with endless possibilities. It was a helpful tip for me when I mastered John McLaughlin solos. |
Posted By: Zebedee
Date Posted: January 05 2010 at 16:45
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I've grown quite fond of both F sharp minor (Gabriel Faure's Pavane is a wonderful example) and F minor over the years. I also tend to shift between C minor and F minor a lot in my own compositions as F minor is the best key for employing dramatic effect IMO. But anything's good as long as it's minor key ------------- 
Friendship is like wetting your pants: everyone can see it, but only you can feel its warmth. |
Posted By: Bonnek
Date Posted: January 07 2010 at 20:42
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The volume key on my laptop. Eh that was a poor one. Anyway, never got around memorizing anything about keys, but my preference goes to Arabian scales. Don't know how they correspond to Western keys though. |
Posted By: topofsm
Date Posted: January 08 2010 at 01:10
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^Most of those scales you are talking about are phrygian dominant or harmonic minor scales. They're sort of like minor scales, though one note is tweaked so there's a minor third involved instead of a major second where it should be.
Translation: It's unexpected and uses a dark sounding couple of notes, and therefore sounds freaking evil! -------------
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Posted By: mrcozdude
Date Posted: January 08 2010 at 01:55
I'm doing a music degree  ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/cozfunkel/" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: keiser willhelm
Date Posted: January 08 2010 at 02:38
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Eb Minor, D minor. im a sucker for chopin and his best songs are in E minor or Eb Minor
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/KeiserWillhelm" rel="nofollow - What im listening to |
Posted By: keiser willhelm
Date Posted: January 08 2010 at 02:42
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but my mind does a flip flop from piano which ive played since i was 6 and guitar. i think diferent keys sound better on different instruments and are definitely used more/less based on what instrument the piece is written for.
------------- http://www.last.fm/user/KeiserWillhelm" rel="nofollow - What im listening to |
Posted By: mono
Date Posted: January 08 2010 at 02:54
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C, G, F and D minor (last one mostly because I play a lot with guitars and bass...) A, Ab and Eb major. I don't care too much for scales because scales are already written... ------------- https://soundcloud.com/why-music Prog trio, from ambiant to violence https://soundcloud.com/m0n0-film Film music and production projects https://soundcloud.com/fadisaliba (almost) everything else |