MooseorGorilla - Posted - 05/28/2018:  09:35:17

I have noticed that there seems to be quite a few songs on you tube( the world of internet nowdays) that the song is played in the Key of "B". I have been in the past more gospel oriented, still am. That key along with "E" is kind of like the plague with piano players.

Is it the mandolin or fiddle that the "B" key is so much used. However, I did note that JD plays in "Bb" quite a bit. Is it the high tenor sound for those keys?

RB-1 - Posted - 05/28/2018:  10:19:16

Bluegrass is a music, centered around the vocals. The key of a song being determined by the range of the lead vocalist.

As Bill Monroe, who started it all, sang comfortably in the key of B, you'll find many (of his) standards being in B.

Which doesn't mean you couldn't do them any lower, but let your good taste be your guide in deciding you should or not.

I played a lot with female vocalists, hence transposed many a song from the G-B region to somewhere between C and F.

Spin off: you'll be able to play anything in almost any key.

Edited by - RB-1 on 05/28/2018 10:28:28

Texasbanjo - Posted - 05/28/2018:  11:06:35

As Bruno said: it's the vocalist who decides the key on vocals. You'll notice most instrumentals are based more on A or D for mando or fiddle and G for banjo and dobro (a generalization, of course).

As a vocalist, you have to choose the key that fits your voice range in order to sing the song properly. I have found that I sing mostly in C, but according to the song, I may be singing in any key from A to G.

The key of B is a booger for mandolin players too, usually. (most mando pickers won't use a capo) Banjo, guitar, dobro can capo up and make it easier.

rockyisland - Posted - 05/28/2018:  12:23:49

Sometime the singer or band will pick the key based on the tenor harmony, trying to get it as high as possible. It's common for a male singer to hit the top of his range from the high G to the high B. I can hit a B with a running start, but I prefer not to have to sing above an A.



"Can't You Hear Me Calling" is one of those songs that's keyed so high in G for the lead (has to sing a G) and the tenor (B-flat I think). It helps to have a Mac Wiseman, Del McCoury, or Jack Cooke type who can hit those notes. 

stelldeergibber - Posted - 05/28/2018:  12:28:30

The quick trick for fiddle or mando with the key of B is tune all the strings down a half step and act like you're in the key of C. Most piano players won't use a capo either!

Dan Gellert - Posted - 05/28/2018:  13:57:18

I really like playing in B flat on fiddle or mandolin. B natural is not much fun at all.

Richard Hauser - Posted - 05/28/2018:  15:06:25

My wife plays piano at her church. She cringes when I mention sharps. I use a capo on the guitar and banjo. I like the sound of ringing open strings.

beegee - Posted - 05/28/2018:  17:44:57

A lot of Bluegrass"singers" will try to sing in B because that's where "__________" sang it, even though it is way too high for their voices. In those cases, imitation is NOT flattery.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 05/29/2018:  06:48:38

As Neil Rosenberg pointed out in Bluegrass: A History (which you should definitely read if you haven't already!), Monroe's insistence on singing in the keys that were best for his voice promoted higher standards among the old-time-trained musicians who might have wanted to work for him. The word got out that if you wanted to play with the Blue Grass Boys, you'd better be able to play in Bb, B, E, and F. (When one young musician complained about a key, Monroe was said to have told him, "I thought you wanted a job!")



We're seeing a similar thing happening over the past few decades as more and more women play bluegrass, both professionally and at the amateur level. I remember seeing Tony Furtado playing with Laurie Lewis in the early 1990s, and noticing that in a whole show he played maybe three songs out of standard bluegrass G format (whether with or without a capo). Nowadays, with women more prominent in jam sessions, a banjo player might be called upon to play "Blue Ridge Cabin Home" or "On And On" in C, D, or E. It forces us to be more versatile and learn our instruments more completely.

Edited by - Ira Gitlin on 05/29/2018 06:49:33

Fathand - Posted - 05/29/2018:  07:10:27

Again, key determined by the singer as vocals are most often the important part of a performance.

I sing a couple of songs in B because C is too high for me but I am not typical. Some G songs work for me in G# and people hate that even though Lester Flatt sang a lot in that. Bluegrass is typically sung with high intensity and singers can put a lot of air and power behind their lyrics if in a higher key so a song that a folk singer may sing in G gets moved up to A , Bb or B.

As for piano players, I saw a TV interview with Eubie Blake who said "they liked to play in B and E natural because in the clubs he performed in, they didn't like it if you played on too many of the white keys."

rockyisland - Posted - 05/29/2018:  08:05:16

quote:

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Originally posted by beegee

A lot of Bluegrass"singers" will try to sing in B because that's where "__________" sang it, even though it is way too high for their voices. In those cases, imitation is NOT flattery.

---

I usually experience the opposite: guys singing too low and too soft. Put yourself out there!

Of course, Beegee and I have different feelings about nasal, keening vocals in bluegrass.

I have a tolerance for nasality and poor intonation that approaches that of the old-time fiddlers. Heck, the intonation on some of those early 50s Monroe recordings (fiddle and vocals) was positively rank!

beegee - Posted - 05/29/2018:  10:49:57

There's a reason the high lonesome sound is lonesome.....I guess some folks like fingernails on a blackboard, but I don't.

The older I get, the more I prefer lower keys for singing. I like D,E, & F and am working on arrangement where I sing in one key and shift to another for the instrumental part.

Edited by - beegee on 05/29/2018 10:53:36