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ntom · Post by **ntom** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:31 am

I find more appealing melodies in the key of Bb than any other, next to that is C, but this topic isn't about C, it's about Bb.

Why is Bb so appealing? Or is it just me?

Also, make some key suggestions, because as much as I love Bb, I am getting bored of it.

paveloso · Post by **paveloso** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:43 am

ntom wrote:...Also, make some key suggestions, because as much as I love Bb, I am getting bored of it.

Db

... or any of the other 11 options you have in Western music!

Kim Lajoie · Post by **Kim Lajoie** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:53 am

Someone will suggest 'D minor is the saddest of all keys' in 3... 2... 1...

What, what?

-Kim.

dgkenney · Post by **dgkenney** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 2:06 am

ntom wrote:
Also, make some key suggestions, because as much as I love Bb, I am getting bored of it.

Try Gm.

Dan

Ogg Vorbis · Post by **Ogg Vorbis** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 4:27 am

If you like Bb, then you'll LOVE F minor. F minor has buttery and chocolatety dark yumminess that is like compelling and exotic like forbidden sex.

F minor is rich and sonorous and underutilized. It is like camping in winter, scuba diving in New Zealand or getting a little too drunk at a wedding and jumping into the pool fully clothed and regretting the whole episode years later.

It has four flats (but really only two in ascending melodic minor...just like Bb!).

For the love of Zeus, TRY IT!

unpeople · Post by **unpeople** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:30 am

ntom wrote:Why is Bb so appealing?

B♭ is the "open" key for most brass instruments, such as the trumpet, trombone, euphonium, and tuba, as well as for the tenor and soprano saxophones. Subsequently, a lot of jazz and blues songs are written in B♭, because it's an easy key for the horn players to improvise over the changes. If you grew up listening to jazz and/or blues, your ear is probably accustomed to hearing music in that common key.

ntom wrote:Also, make some key suggestions, because as much as I love Bb, I am getting bored of it.

Two suggestions: first, try the key of E, which is a tritone away from B♭, and tonally is the furthest key from B♭. You can also use B♭ chords as substitution voicings in the key of E. For example, the 7, 3, and 13 of B♭ (A♭ D G) is the same as the 3, 7, and #9 in the key of E (G# D G♮).

Second, you might want to try the key of B♮, which is close in pitch to B♭, but has more "energy," because it's sharper. It's also as structurally different from B♭ as you can get, and if you're writing jazz, you're virtually assured of different-sounding solos from the horn players.

debra1rlo · Post by **debra1rlo** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:38 am

Kim Lajoie wrote:Someone will suggest 'D minor is the saddest of all keys' in 3... 2... 1...

What, what?

-Kim.

Does that mean Bb Major 7th is the saddest of all the Major 7th chords?

ariston · Post by **ariston** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:12 am

In playing with different musicians, I've found that everyone has their individual preferences. There are plenty of learnèd discussion on the "colours" or "moods" of certain keys - well, not to put too fine a point on it: your D minor is not my D minor. My D Minor is C Minor. Sad AND tragic. And F minor to me is more like impending ravenous zombie apocalypse doom and gloom.

Bb is lovely, btw. Its close cousin, Eb, which is often seen as the most beautiful of keys (and sometimes not, see link below), is by comparison kitschig to me, so I'll default to Bb most of the time - unless I want to compose a theme like "Clarion Call of the Sickeningly Super-Excellent Hero on His Way to a Staggeringly Stupendous Victory".

Interesting reading: http://biteyourownelbow.com/keychar.htm

It's probably more about experience and personal preference than any "universal" meaning. Suggestion: why not try Bb in Lydian mode?

egbert · Post by **egbert** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:13 am

ntom wrote:I find more appealing melodies in the key of Bb than any other, next to that is C, but this topic isn't about C, it's about Bb.

Why is Bb so appealing? Or is it just me?

Are you 4 1/2 feet tall? If so it could be your resonant frequency - assuming you are a column of air at room temperature.

ouroboros · Post by **ouroboros** » Tue Sep 06, 2011 6:37 am

egbert wrote:
ntom wrote:I find more appealing melodies in the key of Bb than any other, next to that is C, but this topic isn't about C, it's about Bb.

Why is Bb so appealing? Or is it just me?
Are you 4 1/2 feet tall? If so it could be your resonant frequency - assuming you are a column of air at room temperature.

/win/win/win!

Soundbyter · Post by **Soundbyter** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 3:57 am

Nothing wrong with Bb! Some people say Bb was Mozart's favorite key

tapper mike · Post by **tapper mike** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 7:15 am

Everything is wrong with Bb, just kidding. What's funny is when I first started learning guitar I'd always play out my ideas in E major. I'd do a key a day plus E major daily while working out my scales. I can't remember the last time I've actually played an Emajor scale, I think Lincoln was president.

wrench45us · Post by **wrench45us** » Thu Sep 08, 2011 12:15 pm

studies of relationships suggest that we tend to like those who like us
(I know it's all very circular and not very specificallty informative, but that's what the experts say)

so I'd suggest Bb likes you

personally I like Eb and esp Ab

Why do I like Bb?