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"the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? #520798 01/27/19 03:50 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late Planobilly OP Veteran
OP Planobilly Veteran Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late	The answer to this question may be way over my head...lol I have read that early composers considered this to be true. This question came to mind because of the number of demo songs in BB that are in E flat. Yes I am aware I can change the key. I can play guitar without issue in any key but E flat is not very common for Pop music. So is this only true in regard to classical music? Whats up with E flat? Cheers, Billy “Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520802 01/27/19 04:26 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,607 Australia Noel96 Veteran
Noel96 Veteran Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,607 Australia	Hi Billy, What a great question! Here's my take on it... Eb major is a comfortable key for piano. Because of this, during the Tin Pan Alley period (approx. 1920 - mid-1950), when piano was a highly popular solo instrument, Eb major was a pretty popular key signature. Since many songs from this period became jazz standards, Eb major thus became easily found as a key signature. I think that many of PG Music's early demos would have been created by musicians with jazz as part of their background. In the days of classical music, a couple of things should be noted. One is that concert pitch was not always defined as A=440 Hz like it is today. Sometimes, it was sharper and sometimes flatter. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_pitch This means, that a song heard today in the key of C major would not sound the same as a song played a couple of hundred years ago in C major. The second thing that should be noted is that the equal temperament tuning system that we have today was not always used as a standard tuning system. "Equal temperament" means each neighbouring note across the range of musical notes has the same fundamental relationship with one another (this is related to the 12th root of 2). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament Bach, in fact, wrote his "Well tempered clavier" works to demonstrate that equal temperament was a viable tuning technique and better suited to many keys. Prior to equal temperament, one of the major systems was "Just Intonation" which was based on particular intervals like 4ths, 5ths and octaves having a 'perfect' sonic relationship in that they could be expressed in whole numbers. This is a Pythagorean tuning system. By comparison, the only sonic relationship that can be expressed in whole numbers in equal temperament is the octave. The "Just intonation" tuning system was only good for key signatures that had less than two or three sharps or flats. So... while keys in flats and keys in sharps might have respectively stimulated sad and happy characteristics in past times when tuning systems were not standardised, I believe that that kind of sonic impact is much less today. Whenever I change keys in BIAB, all I hear is the same music played at higher and lower pitches. I personally have not noticed that I experience any substantial emotional impact from the different keys. The emotional impact for me comes from whether major, minor or modal keys are used. Just my two cents worth... Regards, Noel MY SONGS... Audiophile BIAB 2026 audios on Soundcloud

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Noel96 #520819 01/27/19 05:13 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,796 fiddler2007 Expert
fiddler2007 Expert Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,796	Originally Posted By: Noel96 Hi Billy, ..... What a great question! Here's my take on it... Eb major is a comfortable key for piano. Because of this, during the Tin Pan Alley period (approx. 1920 - mid-1950), when piano was a highly popular solo instrument, Eb major was a pretty popular key signature. Since many songs from this period became jazz standards, Eb major thus became easily found as a key signature. I think that many of PG Music's early demos would have been created by musicians with jazz as part of their background ..... Regards, Noel Well i always thought Eb, Bb and F and the relative minors were popular because of brass instruments, and Clarinet LoL. Unless you own a C melody sax. IMO E is a nice one for 3 chorder guitar like 'standard' E-A-B7 blues stuff, D, A and G for fiddle, mandolin etc. Bluegrass singers with them frigging capos at 4 like B ...... F

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520821 01/27/19 05:29 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late Planobilly OP Veteran
OP Planobilly Veteran Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late	Thanks Noel, That was a pretty cool run down and historical perspective on E Flat. I find that certain modern popular songs I play sound different to me in different keys. I suspect that I learned the songs by coping the original artist in the original key and anything different than that just does not sound right to me. Obviously there are slight differences in the way any certain group of notes would sound in different keys but that is not much of a big deal in equal temperament tuning. I sometimes am ask to play something in another key to accommodate the vocalist or perhaps the horn players would prefer to play in B flat than A for example. Not having any formal training and really only playing guitar key signature is of little issue in general. If the things gets changed from C to C# I certainly don't start thinking OMG now I have 7 sharps to deal with...lol Move the pattern up one fret and your good to go. If I am writing an original song my main considerations are is it going to be major or minor and is it in a place on the guitar that is easy to get to and can I sing in that key. And yes I pay attention to the modes for melody construction. So...as you can see, I would most likely be barred from even driving on the same street as Juilliard is located on...lol Thank you very much for the history lesson!! Cheers, Billy “Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520823 01/27/19 05:36 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,607 Australia Noel96 Veteran
Noel96 Veteran Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,607 Australia	Originally Posted By: Planobilly Not having any formal training and really only playing guitar key signature is of little issue in general. If the things gets changed from C to C# I certainly don't start thinking OMG now I have 7 sharps to deal with...lol Move the pattern up one fret and your good to go. Yes, guitar makes very easy work of transposing. It's not so straightforward on piano (or a number of other instruments for that matter). MY SONGS... Audiophile BIAB 2026 audios on Soundcloud

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? fiddler2007 #520825 01/27/19 05:39 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,607 Australia Noel96 Veteran
Noel96 Veteran Joined: Oct 2008 Posts: 20,607 Australia	Originally Posted By: fiddler2007 Well i always thought Eb, Bb and F and the relative minors were popular because of brass instruments, and Clarinet LoL. Unless you own a C melody sax. That could certainly be the case. My knowledge doesn't extend to these instruments. But it was the era of the big band so it makes sense. If a piano plays in the key of Eb, though, Bb instruments would transpose to F and Eb instruments would transpose to C. It seems that Eb concert pitch could be useful here, too. MY SONGS... Audiophile BIAB 2026 audios on Soundcloud

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520831 01/27/19 06:08 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late Planobilly OP Veteran
OP Planobilly Veteran Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late	Transposing...yes it is the one and only thing that is easy to do on guitar...lol On the other hand, I think sight reading is a bit less difficult on piano than guitar. Yes, I have a piano but I have little idea how to play it. None the less it has been very useful in learning music theory. I did learn how to play happy birthday but it may be a while before I get a handle on Golliwogs Cakewalk...lol Truth is, nothing is difficult after one has diligently studied and consistently played every day, seven days a week, and reached the 10,000 hour mark...lol Cheers M8 “Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Noel96 #520842 01/27/19 09:55 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,796 fiddler2007 Expert
fiddler2007 Expert Joined: Dec 2007 Posts: 1,796	Originally Posted By: Noel96 .... The "Just intonation" tuning system was only good for key signatures that had less than two or three sharps or flats ... Noel One remark .. i played a just tuned (by the expert tuner and maker Marc Savoy) Cajun melodeon at a studio gig. The professional Classically trained pianist and studio owner kept saying: that thing is out of tune. Must be suffering from brain des(in)formation through years of playing his 'wrongly' tuned weltempered piano. Professional disoriented hearing. Also why fretless instruments like violins, ouds, etc sound so much better, as the players intonate themselves according key and intonality. Back in the early days of Midi i was teaching a Midi course at a technical university. We invited a wizzkid nerd into Midi, who demonstrated his Midi strings software that was correcting the 'proper' intonation to a more palatable type by correcting f.i. 3rds 6ths and 7ths automatically sort of according to key played. His classical midi files sounded a lot better, with hardware like Ensoniq had back then, capable of fine tuning pitch via polyphonic aftertouch. Still have two Ensoniq items capable of that. But i must confess, i am too lazy, and not much more into filmmusic scoring. And i wonder if all those modern software VSTs are capable of doing that, unless you give each note it's own midi channel and pitch bend instructions. Done that with Cubase's logical editor in the past. Tons of work.

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520889 01/28/19 03:40 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,592 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY Matt Finley Veteran
Matt Finley Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,592 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY	From the viewpoint of a horn player, the keys a guitarist wants to choose are usually harder for two reasons: because we on transposing instruments have to play in more difficult key signatures, and because we are more likely to have to overcome intonation problems inherent in horns. For example, the key of concert E is F# for me on a Bb trumpet. It’s C# for an Eb alto sax. Both are keys most horn players will admit they find to be harder than C, F and G And then there is intonation. Trumpets and saxes are one enormous compromise when it comes to pitch. On all trumpets, regardless of key, the low D and C# below the staff are WAY sharp and have to be adjusted by a short slide. If you were to write something featuring a trumpet, you would want to avoid featuring those notes. Similarly, the E at the top of the staff is usually flat for most trumpets. On some songs, I use alternate fingering and my tuning slide to make it better, but using a tiny trumpet tuning slide is a gamble every time. This is way too much detail for most of you but it may give you a sense of how brass players think. There’s dozens more examples like the ones I gave. The better you play, the more these subtleties are important. Guitarists, if you had a nut in the wrong place, and every time you played a note it was “off”, you’d take it in for repair. But we can’t. BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520899 01/28/19 04:17 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 6,505 Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S.A. Notes Norton Veteran
Notes Norton Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 6,505 Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S.A.	Being that I've played in guitar bands ever since I was in junior high school, I actually prefer E/F# (Concert/Tenor Sax) and A/B to the piano keys of Bb/C and Eb/F. My fingers are more comfortable in the sharp keys, simply because I have thousands more hours in sharp keys. I suppose if I cut my musical teeth in piano based or swing band based groups, I'd like Bb and Eb better. Playing sax, flute, keys, brass and many other instruments, transposing even a half step requires entirely different fingerings. It's like learning the song all over again from scratch. So when I started playing guitar and we modulated up a half step, all I had to do was move my and up one fret and use the exact same fingering. WOW! Wanna modulate again? And again? Matt mentioned intonation on brass and woodwind instruments. No sax is in tune with itself. Each note has to be adjusted with lip pressure on the reed and the players ears. When I get a new sax, the first thing I do is sit with a tuner and play every note on the sax (long tones) and see which ones play sharp and which ones play flat. Doing this a while will automatically put my lip in the right direction and my ears will tell me how much. Modern saxes seem to be better at intonation than older ones. I guess computer design, human refinement, or better manufacturing techniques have contributed to that. The worst sax I've had for intonation is a silver plated 1925 King Alto. But it has the voice of an angel, so I keep it around. The second worst one I've ever owned was the legendary Selmer Mark VI (which I bought new in 1959 or 1960). The VI to sax players is worshiped like a very early Les Paul or Fender Broadcaster - worth a lot of money. Mostly because the VII wasn't as good (the intonation was better but the tone was worse). My 9 year old, custom built MacSax and a used Yamaha YTS-52 I just picked up have the best relative intonation of all the saxes I've owned (saxes are expensive so I haven't owned nearly enough <wink/grin>). My VII, Couf Superba and Grassi Prestige are newer designs than the VI and have better intonation too. I have a relative who has absolute pitch, and he says some keys sound brighter, others darker, and it has nothing to do with whether it's a sharp key or a flat key. We transpose songs to fit our vocal range. If possible we try to do it in 'record key' but it's better to change the key if you can't do a good job in the record key. Changing keys and just listening to the backing tracks I create myself we've noticed that sometimes a half step difference makes a difference in how bright or dark the song sounds. I've never taken the time to log which keys sound brighter or darker, and also don't know if it's song-specific or not. So doing the backing tracks in MIDI where I can change the key to whatever I want without artifacts and with a few clicks of the mouse helps a lot when learning new songs. I can get the song in the optimum key for the singer and move it a half step or so for the listener. Insights and incites by Notes Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music https://www.nortonmusic.com 100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove & Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520907 01/28/19 04:54 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,592 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY Matt Finley Veteran
Matt Finley Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,592 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY	Notes said it better what I was trying to convey: each horn is not in tune with itself. Well put. I also have a Mark VI tenor , this one a 1973. I and others think the intonation is quite good. I wish I could still hold it or I wouldn’t be selling it. Most newer saxes I’ve played are better intonation, worse tone just like Notes said. BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520919 01/28/19 05:43 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late Planobilly OP Veteran
OP Planobilly Veteran Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late	I think in today's world most good guitar players feel pretty lucky to get to play with horn players. Well, in the local bars and smaller music venues at least. I at least do. There is something to be said for a three piece ZZ Top type of band but for me having a horn section opens a whole new world of possibilities. In fact, first thing I do when a horn player comes on stage is to ask what key they would prefer to play in. If we can make that fly with the vocalist why not!! Why would anyone not consider the issues of other people on stage? Perhaps some just don't know and I guess we have all been around our share of people who just don't care. The first consideration is the vocalist generally. If things are really uncomfortable between the horn section and the vocalist or the keyboards, just find another song. I had a sax player friend who I ask "what key would you like" and he always said just play as you like. I can play in any key. Some people are a dream to work with!! And Matt, there is never to much detail. As a guitar player I how would I ever know what horn players have to deal with unless someone tells me!! Cheers, Billy “Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520927 01/28/19 06:25 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,592 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY Matt Finley Veteran
Matt Finley Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 27,592 Hudson Valley & Lake George NY	Billy, thanks. I would never ask the band to change the key. I should be able to play well enough in any key. Part of being a pro. And I expect a singer might request anything. But if a horn player tells you it completely doesn’t matter, they are either lying or not good enough to know what they don’t know. I said above I should be able to play “well enough” in any key. That doesn’t mean perfectly the same. I’m not sure such a person exists. My standard is to do it well enough that you won’t know whether it’s a good key for me or not. BIAB 2026 Win Audiophile. Software: Fender Studio One 8, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Fender Quantom HD8 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #520957 01/28/19 09:30 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: May 2003 Posts: 8,021 Rio Grande Valley, Texas silvertones Veteran
silvertones Veteran Joined: May 2003 Posts: 8,021 Rio Grande Valley, Texas	I choose flat keys to just get away from playing in the same old keys. It's a sonic difference but not sure why. Also as a bass player the key can mess up the bass line. An example; I play a 5 string bass. If I play in Eb I loose the ability to use the Low B as my 5. BTW that's 5 maj.lol John ESI Gigaport HD+ Lenovo Turion II /4 Gig Ram/ Win7x64 be 15.6" Monitor "The only Band is a Real Band" www.wintertexaninfo.com/BANDS/JohnnyD.php

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #521009 01/28/19 02:16 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jun 2012 Posts: 21,108 Melbourne, Australia AudioTrack Veteran
AudioTrack Veteran Joined: Jun 2012 Posts: 21,108 Melbourne, Australia	I'm not sure about brighter or more melancholy, but there is a difference. I think it also boils down to the style. Pop/Rock music tends to largely be written in keys like D, E, F, A etc. Maybe that's because those composers come from guitar background. Jazz (and Latin) often sits perfectly in keys like Bb, Eb, Ab. My own taste is to give me Eb any day. It's rich and warm. BIAB & RB2026 Win.(Audiophile), Windows 10 Pro & Windows 11, Cakewalk Bandlab, Izotope Prod.Bundle, Roland RD-1000, Synthogy Ivory, Session Keys Grand S & Electric R, Kontakt, Focusrite 18i20, KetronSD2, NS40M, Pioneer Active Monitors.

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #521029 01/28/19 04:41 PM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2016 Posts: 1,173 Gold Coast, Queensland, Austra... Teunis Expert
Teunis Expert Joined: Dec 2016 Posts: 1,173 Gold Coast, Queensland, Austra...	When it comes to more melancholy or somber I thought that is what writing in minor keys was all about. Not so much writing in flats and sharps but minor keys and diminished etc being sadder than majors. Tony Last edited by Teunis; 01/28/19 04:43 PM. HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #521062 01/29/19 12:13 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,148 Essex England Bob Calver Veteran
Bob Calver Veteran Joined: Sep 2001 Posts: 2,148 Essex England	maybe it applies playing live with real instruments but with BIAB I don't think a song generated in F would sound any different (apart from lower in pitch!) if transposed down to Eb anyone tried it?

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Bob Calver #521072 01/29/19 01:05 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Dec 2016 Posts: 1,173 Gold Coast, Queensland, Austra... Teunis Expert
Teunis Expert Joined: Dec 2016 Posts: 1,173 Gold Coast, Queensland, Austra...	I would think a Bb would sound very, very similar to an A#. To me they sound exactly the same. If I was to play them on a guitar I would have my fingers in the same places. (Where does this come from) Tony HP i7-4770 16GB 1TB SSD, Win 10 Home, Focusrite 2i2 3rd Gen, Launchkey 61, Maton CW80, Telecaster, Ovation Elite TX, Yamaha Pacifica 612 BB 2022(912) RB 2022(2), CakeWalk, Reaper 6, Audacity, Melodyne 5 Editor, Izotope Music Production Suite 4.1

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #521116 01/29/19 04:20 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 6,505 Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S.A. Notes Norton Veteran
Notes Norton Veteran Joined: Jul 2000 Posts: 6,505 Fort Pierce, Florida, U.S.A.	I think finding the key for the vocalist is the most important thing in any band. Good horn players should be able to play in any key. Of course, there are familiar keys I'm more comfortable playing in, and some that rarely cross my path, but I'll consider a non common key an opportunity to become more comfortable in that key. I've been in groups with good singers who after finding their optimum key will ask if moving it a half step would make it easier for the musicians. That tells me the singer is a real pro. But sometimes a half step difference makes the song sound weird, and I think that's what OP is talking about. Good musicians should realize this and not move from an awkward key to a comfortable key if the end product suffers. I also prefer singers to know enough basic music theory to be able to converse with other musicians in the common language of music. And yes, minor keys sound darker. I reject the sadder definition because some minor key songs are way too beautiful to be even remotely considered as sad. Tchaikovsky's "Romeo & Juliet" which I just heard in concert is an absolutely beautiful piece of music. At times it is exhilarating, yet it is done predominantly if not completely in minor keys (as most of Tchaikovsky's music is). And Matt, I am glad your VI has good intonation. It seems that Selmer may have steadily improved the design or manufacturing techniques. When I bought my VI, I tried 3 in the store (yes, a store in Miami actually 3) in front of a strobe tuner and picked the one with the best intonation. This was at the advice of my band director. When I traded my VI for the VII the intonation was quite good, the tone decent but not flexible, which is why I fell in love with the Couf Superba. It had what I considered better tone and intonation than the VI. But tone is subjective, as noted. Getz and Trane both played VI's and sounded very, very different. Insights and incites by Notes Bob "Notes" Norton Norton Music https://www.nortonmusic.com 100% MIDI Super-Styles recorded by live, pro, studio musicians for a live groove & Fake Disks for MIDI and/or RealTracks

Re: "the sharp keys sound brighter while the flat keys sound more melancholy" True or False? Planobilly #521165 01/29/19 07:38 AM Band-in-a-Box for Windows
Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late Planobilly OP Veteran
OP Planobilly Veteran Joined: Jul 2015 Posts: 2,741 Gulf Of Mexico As Of Late	All my comments about key are based on what I consider Pop music being defined as Rock, blues, country....stuff you generally hear on the radio. I always considered Ab, Bb, and Eb to be horn keys. That assumption could very well have always been incorrect. I also associated those keys with jazz style music for the most part. There are exceptions. A famous blues tune called "Okie Dokie Stomp" made famous by Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and written in E flat by Pluma Davis a trumpet player comes to mind. Whereas C major and major keys in general always seemed to be associated with a happy fun style in whatever genres, but that was not always true. The minor keys were in my mind were thought to be more related to sadder or more serious subject matter but again not always. The emotional context of a song has many components and the lyrical content is most likely to be the biggest component. If for example the lyrics said " I just won a million bucks and I am jumping for joy" A minor, fiddle, and steel pedal guitar would be a very strange key and arrangement of instruments to express that idea!! There are guitar based songs that simply can not be played in any other key than the original and really sound like the original. I am mostly talking about songs from electric blues players like Muddy Waters or John Lee Hooker. Most of that style is played in E major and the low E note on the guitar plays a dominant roll in the style. Similar things can occur with finger style guitar with quarter notes played on the open E or open A string. Certain ZZ Top songs only work in the original key. I just tried an experiment on the piano. I played a 1/4/5 in C major and in F major and G major using triplets. They all sound very different to me but I find it hard or impossible to define the difference in terms of brighter or melancholy. When I have time today perhaps I will try the same experiment with vocal lines that contain sad or melancholy lyrics or happy and joyful lyrics. Then repeat the experiment in Db and B. I guess we would have to come to an agreed upon meaning to the words brighter and melancholy as it relates to sound....most likely not so easy to do...lol This is the kind of stuff that happens when you give a old retired guy a computer and a piano...lol...lol Cheers, Billy Edit: I "ASSUME" that E flat is an easy key for a trumpet player and most likely why "Okie Dokie Stomp" was written in Eb to begin with. Last edited by Planobilly; 01/29/19 07:54 AM. Reason: To dumb to get it correct the first time “Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig? “Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”

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Check out all the new features in the redesigned Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

May 13, 2026

Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac - Special Offers End at 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th, 2026!

Order before 11:59pm PDT on Friday, May 15th and SAVE up to 50% on most Band-in-a-Box® version 2026 for Mac Upgrade packages... and that's not all! With your version 2026 for Mac purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons FREE! Upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks... that's 222 NEW RealTracks available with version Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac!

Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac® today for as little as $49! Check out the Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all available purchase options.

Learn more about the Free Bonus PAK and 49-PAK here.

If you have any questions about which package is the best option for you, just let us know. We're here to help!

May 13, 2026

202 New RealTracks Released with Band-in-a-Box 2026!

With Band-in-a-Box® 2026, we've released 202 incredible new RealTracks (in sets 468-488) in a variety of genres—featuring your most requested styles!

Jazz, Funk & World (Sets 468-475):
Our new jazz, funk & blues RealTracks include a groovin’ collection of RealTracks and RealDrums! These include more requested “soul jazz” RealTracks featuring artists Neil Swainson (bass), Charles Treadway (organ), Brent Mason (guitar), and Wes Little (drums). There are new “smooth jazz” styles (4), which include a RealTracks first: muted trumpet, as well as slick new smooth jazz brushes options for drums. Blues lovers will be thrilled—there are more “classic acoustic blues” styles, including guitar (5), bass (4), and drums (10) with blues master Colin Linden, featuring understated and tasty background acoustic soloing, plus brushes drums and acoustic bass. There are also new electric blues RealTracks, including electric blues with PG favorite Johnny Hiland (3) and soulful electric slide guitar from Colin Linden (4). If you love funk & gospel, there are great new options this year, including gospel organ (3) from Charles Treadway, as well as new funk, tango, and rock ’n’ roll drums (3) and bass (1). And for big, bold arrangements, we have uptempo soul horns (4) featuring a three-part hip horn section with options for a full mix or stems of each individual horn — plus an accompanying rhythm section (4) of drums, bass, guitar, and electric piano!

Rock & Pop (Sets 476–482):
Our new rock & pop RealTracks bring a powerful mix of requested favorites, fresh genres, and modern chart-inspired styles! We have more of our popular “Producer Layered Acoustic Guitars (15)” featuring Band-in-a-Box favorite Brent Mason. We’ve continued our much-requested disco styles (10), and added new Celtic guitar (5) with a more basic, accessible approach than our previous Drop-D or DADGAD offerings. There are also highly requested yacht rock styles (17), inspired by the smooth, polished soft-rock sound of the late ’70s and early ’80s — laid-back grooves, silky electric pianos, warm textures, elegant harmonic movement, and pristine production aesthetics. Fans of heavier styles will love our new glam metal (13), capturing the flashy, high-energy sound of ’80s arena-ready guitar rock. We also have a set of rootsy modern-folk rock (18), with a warm, organic sound combining contemporary folk textures and driving acoustic strumming. And we’ve added lots of new modern pop styles (16) — the kinds of sounds you’re hearing on the radio today, featuring exciting new drums, synths, and cutting-edge RealTracks arrangements.

Country, & Americana (Sets 483–488):
Our new country & Americana RealTracks deliver a rich collection of acoustic, electric, and roots-inspired styles! We have new country pop (9) with legendary guitarist Brent Mason. There is also a potpourri (14) of bouzouki, guitars, banjo, and more, perfect for adding texture and character to contemporary acoustic arrangements. We’ve added funky country guitar (5) with PG favorite Brent Mason, along with classic pedal steel styles (5) featuring steel great Doug Jernigan. There are more country songwriter styles (8) that provide intimate, rootsy foundations for storytelling and modern Americana writing. Finally, we have “background soloing” acoustic guitar (12) with Brent Mason — simpler, but still very tasty acoustic lines designed to sit beautifully behind vocals or act as a subtle standalone solo part.

Check out all the 202 new RealTracks (in sets 468-488)!

And, if you are looking for more, the 2026 49-PAK (for $49) includes an impressive collection of 20 bonus RealTracks, featuring exciting and inspiring additions to add to your RealTracks library. You'll get new country-rhythm guitar styles from PG Music favorites Johnny Hiland and Brent Mason, along with modern-pop grooves that capture today’s radio-ready sound! There are also new indie-folk styles with guitar, bass, 6-string bass used as a high-chording instrument, acoustic guitar, and banjo. Plus, dedicated "cymbal fills" RealDrums provide an added layer that work very well with low-key folky styles with other percussion.

The 2026 49-PAK is loaded with other great new add-ons as well. Learn more about the 2026 49-PAK!

May 06, 2026

2026 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

With your version 2026 for Mac Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, Audiophile Edition or PlusPAK purchase, we'll include a Bonus PAK full of great new Add-ons for FREE! Or upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for only $49 to receive even more NEW Add-ons including 20 additional RealTracks!

These PAKs are loaded with additional add-ons to supercharge your Band-in-a-Box®!

This Free Bonus PAK includes:

The 2026 RealCombos Booster PAK: -For Pro customers, this includes 27 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For MegaPAK customers, this includes 25 new RealTracks and 23 new RealStyles. -For UltraPAK customers, this includes 12 new RealStyles.
MIDI Styles Set 92: Look Ma! More MIDI 15: Latin Jazz
MIDI SuperTracks Set 46: Piano & Organ
Instrumental Studies Set 24: Groovin' Blues Soloing
Artist Performance Set 19: Songs with Vocals 9
Playable RealTracks Set 5
RealDrums Stems Set 9: Cool Brushes
SynthMaster Sounds Set 1 (with audio demos)
iOS Android Band-in-a-Box® App

Looking for more great add-ons, then upgrade to the 2026 49-PAK for just $49 and you'll get:

20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums with 20 RealStyle.
FLAC Files (lossless audio files) for the 20 Bonus Unreleased RealTracks and RealDrums
MIDI Styles Set 93: Look Ma! More MIDI 16: SynthMaster
MIDI SuperTracks Set 47: More SynthMaster
Instrumental Studies 25 - Soul Jazz Guitar Soloing
Artist Performance Set 20: Songs with Vocals 10
RealDrums Stems Set 10: Groovin' Sticks
SynthMaster Sounds & Styles Set 2 (sounds & styles with audio demos)

Learn more about the Bonus PAK and 49-PAK for Band-in-a-Box® 2026 for Mac®!

April 28, 2026

XPro & Xtra Styles PAK Sets On Sale Now - Until May 15, 2026!

All of our XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAKs are on sale until May 15th, 2026!

It's the perfect time to expand your Band-in-a-Box® style library with XPro and Xtra Styles PAKs. These additional styles for Band-in-a-Box® offer a wide range of genres designed to fit seamlessly into your projects. Each style is professionally arranged and mixed, helping enhance your songs while saving you time.

What are XPro Styles and Xtra Styles PAKs?

XPro Styles PAKs are styles that work with any version (Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition) of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). XPro Styles PAKS 1-10 includes 1,000 styles!

Xtra Styles PAKs are styles that work with the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 (or higher). Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 includes 3,700 styles (and 35 MIDI styles)!

The XPro & Xtra Styles PAKs are not included in any Band-in-a-Box® package.

The XPro Styles PAKs 1-10 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

The Xtra Styles PAKs 1-21 are available for only $29 ea (reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the Xtra Styles PAK Bundle for only $199 (reg. $349)! Listen to demos and order now! For Mac or for Windows.

Note: XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.

The Xtra Styles require the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition of Band-in-a-Box®. (Xtra Styles PAK 19 requires the 2025 or higher UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition. They will not work with the Pro or MegaPAK version as they require the RealTracks included in the UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, or Audiophile Edition.

Supercharge your Band-in-a-Box today with XPro Styles PAKs and Xtra Styles PAK Sets!

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