PPT mouthpieces

what keys are the norm?

jeremyjuicewah

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Hi All. I have been spared making good my boast to play in the jam session in the bar at the end of my road. It closed down along with the one round the corner, just after xmas. I have found a couple more, a bit further afield, but I have had a bit of a jolt about keys. I have often heard guitarists say, when you ask, that they ususally play this or that in the original key. But I wonder. I have played Route 66 in A on guitar, and no other key. But I think the original was in E (F# for tenor sax) and I have a backing track in G (A for tenor) which seems too good to be true. I am a bit frightened and dont want any nasty surprises when I do finally stand up so for the bog standards that I will hope to encounter at a jam session, what key are they likely to be played in:

Route 66 (my backing track puts me in A minor, I am sure its not normal)
Mustang Sally (my backing seems to put tenor in G minor, I am sure this is not normal)
Mack The Knife (my backing puts me in D maj, with a change to the relative minor, I think that is normal)
Moondance ( pretty sure I would be in B minor on this)
Let it Be ( I am all over the place with this)
Satisfaction (dont have a track for that)

Just wondering of those who have been and done it, what keys would you expect to be playing in on tenor?

Muchas gracias
Mike
 
One way to overcome this is to learn how to play in every key. Pick a standardthat you know well and then play in in all 12 major keys. Sounds hard but after a while it gets easier.
 
At jams IIRC:

Route 66 - A
Mustang sally - C
Moondance - A

All concert pitch.

Sorry, no idea about the others.
 
Thanks guys. I am working on all twelve. Got there not so bad on majors, working on minors, just panicking probably, but I have to do this soon.
Mike
 
Well your obviously doing a damn site better than me 4 yrs and all this key business goes right over my head,I know that it's there and basically why and recognising what key a piece is in from the music but playing the same piece in all the different keys is a massive no no for me,having learnt it in one key I'm stuck with it,that maybe why I have problems moving from alto to tenor and playing the same piece because it involves completely different fingering for the same tune,hope you get it sorted in time for the jam you seem to understand it at least...all the best john
 

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