what's the difference between different keys?

S

sweatynutz

New member
I know what it means for a chord progression to be in the key of C or the key of B flat or whatever, but is there a difference in the different keys besides their base offset? is one key happier, more bluesy, more melancholy than another? or are they pretty much the same, as long as you know where to start your note counting from?
 
Short: No they are all exactly the same....

Long:

Thanx to well-tempering. In the old days everything was different, until we fiddled with nature and made the ratio between the notes the same regardless of key.

Bach: 48 Preludes and Fugues - The Well Tempered Clavier

Demonstrates how with well-tempered tuning a keyboard can play tunes in every key without adjustment.

Topic here recently going into why D Major is exactly the same as C Major just with a different root. While some are easier on some instruments.

http://www.livepa.org/board/viewtopic.php?t=290

-Ben
 
Yea each key has it's distinctive feel. Like say the key of D minor has a more spokey type feel compared to lets say f minor. Key of C, C#, and F maj are mainly fanfare keys (happier). Keys like A and D are...i dunno how 2 put it in words...and keys of B and F# like the key i would make a wedding song in and so on. But to put it plain...yeah certain keys have their own "feel." Next time u compose a song and it sounds empty...try playing it in another key, that could make the difference. I do it all the time and it works for me.

If u have perfect pitch u can tell a key by the feel of it, but thats rare...lol my brother trips me out calling out keys that i play while he in the other room, and dude can tell u what key a song would sound best in.

Hope that helped
 
Different notes have a slight different "feel" just because of the vibrations and your ability to recognise them.

Different keys might have a different "feel" just because how well you know them and which notes you focus on.

However..... In reality there is ZERO difference between D minor and F minor.

You can play spokey D minor music in any key and it will sound exactly the same. It's just a matter of using the same intervals..... Maybe you're fingers are used to playing certain sounds in certain keys, or you are actually playing modes and not really in those keys.

Every key is exactly the same.

-Ben
 
"Different notes have a slight different "feel" just because of the vibrations and your ability to recognise them."

Different yep...you made my reply all the more right with that line lol.
 
The note A is exactly the same as E.

They are both vibrations. Both sine waves.


However..... on a given guitar, A will have a certain harmonic color and E will have another.... on that guitar...

Doesn't change the fact that A is a vibration and E is a vibration and the only real difference is their frequency.

So if D minor sounds better on your keyboard, or you can play easier in D minor, or any number of factors..... It doesn't change the fact that D minor has exactly the same note ratios as E minor, F, minor, C minor etc etc etc

edit: just to say it again more clearly....

If you can sing better in 1 key then another, use it.
If you can play better in 1 key then another, use it.
If you want open strings on a stringed instrument use E,A,D,or G.
If your synth sound resonates in a certain key and you like it, use it.
If you just like a key, use it.

However there is no real different between them, except your personal preference. There is no rules, no difference that are transferable from instrument to instrument and no special "feel"....

-Ben
 
Last edited:
I know i hear and feel the difference when i'm playing in different keyz (not to mention i play in every maj and minor scale keys and then a great deal more) but oh well lol nuffin really to hold a deep discussion over unless u really wanna learn how to play in every key for certain purposes i guess.

But u win and i hope we helped the original posters' question
 
Yeah that's just my point tho...

You can play everything in every key and the intervals are exactly the same.

It's just preference..... Like when playing (on a keyboard) in C Major the Major 7th is B, which is a white note right next to C.... Whereas in B Major it's a black note.... Meaning you can slip off it in a different way..... However it's really the same distance from B to C as A# to B.

While on guitar A, E, D etc are good because you have the option of the open strings..... However if you're playing without using any open strings then it makes hardly any difference. Something played in C Major isn't really any different to C# Major on guitar.

Do you know F blues better than C blues scale on saxophone? Well play F..... Does C blues scale sound at all different to F blues? nope....

Can you sing from C3 to C5.... Which leaves u missing a single note from the top if playing in D..... Maybe you're better off singing in C.... Does it make any difference except to the ease of your singing and range in that key.... nope....

-Ben
 
Last edited:
yeah of course i know the intervals are the same and the sound in terms of major scales and so on are the same...but yeah i said you win im done but good knowledge you posted also
 
thanks for the replies everybody, very helpful. I guess the reason I was wondering about this was because I wanted to know if it's really worth it to learn how to play/improvise in every key, or if I should just get a few keys down solid and play in those, transposing if necessary.
 
sweatynutz said:
thanks for the replies everybody, very helpful. I guess the reason I was wondering about this was because I wanted to know if it's really worth it to learn how to play/improvise in every key, or if I should just get a few keys down solid and play in those, transposing if necessary.
Click to expand...

i can't say it's really necessary to play in all keys.. but some keys afford different luxuries.. ie: Eb minor is great- because it's most of the black keys just sittin there waitin to get funky (Stevie Wonder used that a ton!) but.. if you try to play "I wish" in C minor- the voicings won't come as easily, and some of the "ease of playing" is taken away. It's little things like that (as far as piano is concerned) that make the differences between keys. As far as learning every key.. i wouldn't go that far- but there are "favorite" keys, depending on what style you're going for. Good luck
 
Hmm...

There are actually minute differences in every major key precisely because of the equal temperament tuning system.

Yes, if you play a major scale in any key, it will be recognized as a major scale. This is of course correct because of the order steps that creates a major scale (WWHWWWH).


BUT...

The equal temperament system was created to make keys based off of all notes sound as similar as possible. It is impossible, however, to create a perfectly in tune scale on every key if you're using static tuned strings or a stringed instruments with frets. The physics of sound prohibit this. You may create a perfect scale for the key of C on a piano, and tune the strings accordingly, but then as soon as you start playing a B major scale, or an A major scale, things will sound noticeably off. For this reason, there ARE minute differences in the way that different keys sound. A major scale on a piano, no matter what scale you play, will always be a bit out of tune relative to a PERFECT major scale, but only slightly so.

Now, of course, as I said before, every scale you play on a piano will sound like the same scale in a different key, but there will be subtle differences. This is why if you try to tune your guitar completely by ear or by absolutely perfect fifths, it will sound more out of tune in some keys than in others.

So experiment with your tune in differenct keys, it may actually sound better/more interesting in one key as opposed to another. The subtle differences in the consonance and dissonance created between scale degrees may make your tune work better in certain keys.

As far as the benifit of learning to play in all keys, there is the obvious benifit of being able to modulate through the cycle of fifths (or fourths).

Modulation is a great technique for getting your tunes to sound original. Why use only one major key or minor key in your tune, when you have tons of other keys to choose from?


Dude.
 
I think I understand what you're talking about. This is complicated. I just want to start playing keys and be like "duh duhhhhh na na na DERRR DERRR" and have it sound ill.
 
Hmm...

There are actually minute differences in every major key precisely because of the equal temperament tuning system.

Yes, if you play a major scale in any key, it will be recognized as a major scale. This is of course correct because of the order steps that creates a major scale (WWHWWWH).


BUT...

The equal temperament system was created to make keys based off of all notes sound as similar as possible. It is impossible, however, to create a perfectly in tune scale on every key if you're using static tuned strings or a stringed instruments with frets. The physics of sound prohibit this. You may create a perfect scale for the key of C on a piano, and tune the strings accordingly, but then as soon as you start playing a B major scale, or an A major scale, things will sound noticeably off. For this reason, there ARE minute differences in the way that different keys sound. A major scale on a piano, no matter what scale you play, will always be a bit out of tune relative to a PERFECT major scale, but only slightly so.

Now, of course, as I said before, every scale you play on a piano will sound like the same scale in a different key, but there will be subtle differences. This is why if you try to tune your guitar completely by ear or by absolutely perfect fifths, it will sound more out of tune in some keys than in others.

So experiment with your tune in differenct keys, it may actually sound better/more interesting in one key as opposed to another. The subtle differences in the consonance and dissonance created between scale degrees may make your tune work better in certain keys.

As far as the benifit of learning to play in all keys, there is the obvious benifit of being able to modulate through the cycle of fifths (or fourths).

Modulation is a great technique for getting your tunes to sound original. Why use only one major key or minor key in your tune, when you have tons of other keys to choose from?


Dude.
Click to expand...

Precisely man
 
Yeah, I was aware of that..... but.....

The very slight difference in certain comparisons caused by temper is quite small compared with the difference from playing in different positions on stringed instruments or with black/white layouts with piano instruments. For me... It's much more about what suits the style of the tune on a given instrument.... String tension or finger position makes temperament pale into insignificance..... None of this can be transferred from instrument to instrument.... There is nothing particularly sad about D minor.

-Ben
 
Mr-Yellow said:


There is nothing particularly sad about D minor.

-Ben
Click to expand...

haven't you seen Spinal Tap? D minor is definitely the saddest key! C'mon man... Nigel Tufnel composed "Lick My Love Pump" in that key! Get it together Ben!
 
yeah i agree with phazer effect...

when i'm putting chords down i usually get drawn to the key that feels right over the beat...most people have favourite keys...that they use over and over...

they all have there own character...

i know a guitarist who can tell what key a song is in just buy hearing it...without checking on his guitar...
 
i know a guitarist who can tell what key a song is in just buy hearing it...without checking on his guitar...
Click to expand...

Yeah he has perfect pitch or either relative pitch (more than likely perfect tho if he's not even touching his guitar and caling it). It's real cool having someone like that around though.
 
Don't mean to beat a dead horse..... Just I find some of this silly.... It is like something off spinal tap :-)

get drawn to the key that feels right over the beat...
Click to expand...

That's you matching the pitch of the bassdrum.....

Yeah he has perfect pitch or either relative pitch
Click to expand...

Yeah it's nothing to do with temperment........ I highly doubt if anyone can tell the difference between 2 keys based on an interval being 1/100th of a cent different......

The sound of the instrument might change radically from key to key.... For example an out-of-phase synth patch with a filter set to a resonant frequency.... or a short scale guitar.... That's sure to be a much bigger change than any intonation or temper change.

-Ben
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top