Favorite Keys

[TJE]

I've been playing the guitar for 20 yrs. That being said there keys I don't like to play in....am I the only one that is this way? (favorite keys are. A, E, D, G, not in any order sometimes C)

I bought in August a new DC-15E with the intent to learn how to be able to play in all of the keys without the use of a capo. I'm finding this is more

of a commitment than I had imagined. I first thought it was a lack of dedication on my part, but as I think more about it....is there a reason I

must learn to play in flat keys? Keys I really don't care for! I can only see that I would need to be able to play in these keys if I was playing in our

church band. Which I'm not and have no intention of being. I guess what I'm asking are there keys even you advanced players, or professional

players don't like or rarely play in?

Another thing I've noticed my favorite guitar player Willie Nelson never

seems to play a song in a b key. Am I hurting myself in someway by not being as efficient in Eb as the key of G? Sorry for the ramble.

Regards, Tony

[kscobie8]

I like C and G. I really dislike A. I can't get my changes to flow as nicely in A, so I generally capo up 2 frets and play in G. I do the same for flats. I like capos and I'm not afraid/ashamed to use them. I use them quite a bit, too, because I play at church, and I also try to keep all songs in their original key if possible.

Bel isi,
-kyle

[min7b5]

I like playing in flat keys with a capo. My favs are Bb, Eb, and Ab. So in the open position for a jazz tune like say Stella By Starlight I'm often playing with a capo on the third fret and thinking G, then as I play up the neck I think Bb. I don't care for E and A major at all. There's something about having the 3rd on the G or B string in the first fret or two that doesn't sound good to me at all

[shawlie]

I think most songs I've written/learned the past couple years have been in C, some in G and D, a few in A. I think I know (knew) one song in E but haven't played it in years. I really love C and G.

[Losov]

I don't have a problem using a capo. If a song is in Ab I'll put it on the first fret and play it in G. I can play the song in Ab, sure, but why? For one thing, it just sounds better when the strings ring a bit and are not muted en mass by a chord change. Also, I don't see the point of knocking myself out, I always look for the easy way.

When I was learning I always wondered what the big deal was with C. It contained the dreaded F chord for one thing and just didn't seem to be a good key to play in over all. It wasn't until I started teaching myself keyboard that I realized C was a big deal for the keyboard players so they could stay off the black keys as much as possible. For the same reason they like keys we don't (F for one) and hate keys that we do (E for one - too many sharps).

The reason you might want to at least be conversant with sharp and flat keys is that songs do transpose, sometimes only for short sections, but you have to be ready to handle this if you want to play some of the more interesting material.

[Stringin Swing]

If in your playing situation you don't have to use keys you find awkward, I'd say stick with what you like and acquaint yourself with the others on your own terms, if at all.

When I got into listening to jazz and swing records of the '30's and '40's, which were dominated by brass and reeds, I quickly found that the keys that are friendly to those instruments are not the same as those that are friendly to guitars. Because I wanted to play that kind of music and have the ability to work easily with horn players, I put considerable effort into becoming comfortable with the sharps and flats; it's still easier for the guitarist to play three-finger chords all over the neck and accommodate the horn players than it is for the horn players to accommodate the guitarist.

I tend to favor the flats and sharps now simply because when I was learning, for years, I was pretty much confining myself to the E, A and D majors that you encounter so often in rock records. I just got sick of hearing and playing them. Not long ago, I happened upon an interview with jazz virtuoso Joe Pass, in which he advised guitarists against playing two E or D major-based songs back-to-back, as the ear gets sick of the monotony quickly; I often think of that. I never use a capo, employ lots of full barres and have found the C-shape chord with a barre invaluable in gaining proficiency in all the keys.

[Mr Fixit eh]

I can play fairly fluently in A, B, C, D, E, F, G - mostly open chords, but I do barre chords when they work better. If I need to be in a X-flat or Y-sharp key, I'll use a capo. However, I find that I play more smoothly and the songs sound better in the keys of C, D, and G - not really sure why. I'll do alot of experimenting - playing a song through in many different chords with/without capo until it sounds the best I can get it.

Steve

[mr. beaumont]

I like Bb, Eb, and F. no capo.

Sometimes a simple chord voicing can make me feel this way-- like this Fmaj9 voicing...

x 8 10 10 8 0

[rick-slo]

I tend to write perhaps a bit more in minor keys as I find the harmonization possibilities more interesting.
Along with the minor keys I usually use descending chord progressions (part of the mood I guess). I am
often using chords outside whatever key I am in but usually do not formally switch into another key within
the song.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by TJE

I've been playing the guitar for 20 yrs. That being said there keys I don't like to play in....am I the only one that is this way? (favorite keys are. A, E, D, G, not in any order sometimes C)

I bought in August a new DC-15E with the intent to learn how to be able to play in all of the keys without the use of a capo. I'm finding this is more of a commitment than I had imagined. I first thought it was a lack of dedication on my part, but as I think more about it....is there a reason I must learn to play in flat keys? Keys I really don't care for! I can only see that I would need to be able to play in these keys if I was playing in our church band. Which I'm not and have no intention of being. I guess what I'm asking are there keys even you advanced players, or professional players don't like or rarely play in?

I play in whatever key I have to, or am asked to. I guess I rarely play in B, Db or F#/Gb, because they are rare anyway.

The thing is, different instruments have different favourite keys, because of ease of playing in those keys. Most guitarists will prefer the keys of A, D and G because they have no barre chords (well, none of the I, IV or V chords are barre chords). E is also easy if you use B7 rather than B (which is a barre chord). C wouldn't be too bad if you could avoid the dreaded F chord.
Guitarists - at least those with a pathological fear of barre chords! - can get round this fairly easily thanks to capos, as explained above.

Horn players (sax, trumpet, clarinet) prefer flat keys, because their natural "home" key is either Bb (tenor and soprano sax, trumpet, clarinet) or Eb (alto sax).
Horn players don't have an equivalent to the capo, but they are more tied to their easy keys - the further from Bb a trumpet player gets, the trickier his fingering is, and the harder is is to "lip" notes into tune. (Obviously good horn players can play in any key, just as good guitarists can. But even good ones will find it easier in flat keys.)
That's why jazz tunes (at least those composed or arranged by horn players) tend to be written in keys like F, Bb, Eb or Ab, or their relative minors.
Keyboard players tend to prefer keys with fewest sharps or flats. So C major would be favourite, followed by F, G, D, Bb.
(An interesting exception is Stevie Wonder, who seems to like the key of Eb minor more than one might expect. That has 6 flats - the hardest key for almost any instrument - but the explanation is that the black keys form the Eb minor pent scale, so it's easy - esp if you are playing from touch and not sight - to play riffs just on the black notes.)

If you never want to play jazz, you needn't worry about these keys. And if you ever do, as I say, you can "cheat" by using a capo. Song in Bb? no worries - capo on 3 and pretend you're in G. (But you will get sneered at by jazz musos. No jazz guitarist uses a capo, because (a) they have no fear of barre chords - in fact they tend to avoid open strings altogether, if possible - and (b) they want the whole neck available at all times. A capo would represent a crazy restriction.)

[mchalebk]

A few random comments/observations:

1. Do whatever you need to get through whatever you're doing right now. If you can't play a song in a certain key because of a barre chord (or the "dreaded F" chord), transpose, use a capo, whatever. The song is what matters most and if it sucks in the present key, find a way to make it not suck.

2. Don't get hung up on keys. For most less advanced guitarists, a song is really about the chords. There's no reason a song in D has to have easy chords. For instance, it might have both Bm and F#m. Granted, there are 4-string versions of these chords that can get you by, but they often don't do the song justice. An example would be Changes in Attitudes, Changes in Latitudes by Jimmy Buffett. It's in D and uses both Bm and F#m. And it sounds a lot better with the barre chords.

3. Do yourself a favor: learn to play barre chords. If you keep putting them off and putting them off, you're setting yourself up to be very limited in what you can do and who you can play with. Yes, there are lots of songs that can be played without barre chords. However, it is just so limiting. Want a simple barre chord exercise to help jump start matters? Practice switching between an E chord and an Am chord without using your index finger. After you can smoothly make this transition, move it up to the 5th fret (any other will work, I just randomly chose 5) and start making the same changes, but using the index finger as a barre. At fret 5, you are now changing between an A and a Dm chord. Regardless, don’t put off learning barres; they are an essential tool.

4. Capos are a tremendously valuable tool. However, if you rely on them too much, they can stunt your growth. Don’t let a capo get in the way of learning to play and utilize barre chords.

Hope this helps.

[naccoachbob]

I used to hate the F barre, but now I use just the top 5 strings, and mute the 6th, E, string. The only 2 strings that are barred are first 2. But I do have to barre the first 3 when using F#m. A number of songs I'm playing now have the F#m and Bbm or even Cm which I barre. One song goes from F#m to G, then to Gm. I love the sound when the finger comes off the 3rd string to make the minor. Those chords are still pretty challenging to me, but I get a big smile when I hit them. It's baby steps, but I'm having fun pushing myself.

[ralary]

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

I like Bb, Eb, and F. no capo.

Sometimes a simple chord voicing can make me feel this way-- like this Fmaj9 voicing...

x 8 10 10 8 0

I like A,C

[D. Dubya]

I've been through what you're going through. I realized a while back that I was only really comfortable playing in G and E. I could play in C, D or A, but all those crazy flats and stuff were just out of the question. It kind of bothered me for a while, but I decided that, as a strummer/singer, it's really not important. I suppose I could play a song in Ab, Eb, etc. using a bunch of uncomfortable barre chords, weird voicings and whatnot - or I can capo up, play comfortably and sound a lot better. It's a no brainer. I have, however, worked to get comfortable playing in C, D and A just to have more options. If a tune is in Bb, I can capo up one and play in A, or capo at the third and play in G, it just depends on what sounds better for that song. Taking advantage of a useful tool doesn't mean you're weak. It means you're smart. We always talk about playing the guitar that feels and sounds best to you. Why not play in the key that feels and sounds best to you?

PS - I love using a short cut capo for certain songs too - and I don't care who knows it!

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by TJE

I've been playing the guitar for 20 yrs. That being said there keys I don't like to play in....am I the only one that is this way? (favorite keys are. A, E, D, G, not in any order sometimes C)

I bought in August a new DC-15E with the intent to learn how to be able to play in all of the keys without the use of a capo. I'm finding this is more

of a commitment than I had imagined. I first thought it was a lack of dedication on my part, but as I think more about it....is there a reason I

must learn to play in flat keys? Keys I really don't care for! I can only see that I would need to be able to play in these keys if I was playing in our

church band. Which I'm not and have no intention of being. I guess what I'm asking are there keys even you advanced players, or professional

players don't like or rarely play in?

Another thing I've noticed my favorite guitar player Willie Nelson never

seems to play a song in a b key. Am I hurting myself in someway by not being as efficient in Eb as the key of G? Sorry for the ramble.

Regards, Tony

What kind of songs are you playing, and are you talking about playing chords, scales, ore both?