Your Favorite Key!

I love the key of G minor. (I must of used it in like a hundred works) Its bittersweet and melancholy.

I also feel a strong resolution to anything in Eb Major.

I'm composing a piece in G minor right now.

I like it too, it's very rich.

For me, key depends on the instruments I'm using. Daniel already mentioned B major as "very rich" on the piano. No doubt. I think the key being used is only as prominent as the orchestration you decide upon.

If I'm writing for a Wind Ensemble, I know that the keys of F, Bb, Eb, and Ab will offer a richer sound on a dry run by and large. Mistakes notwithstanding, there is also the issue of tuning within the ensemble. Hopefully, a good director will prepare the tuning of the ensemble for the piece you've written, but generally speaking, the Wind Ensemble will provide a richer sound because of the nature of the instruments in the ensemble, the fingerings of the instruments (open vs. closed and so on), and the tunings between similar instruments of the ensemble.

Trumpets playing in perfect fourths will sound more in tune than trumpets playing in perfect fifths. Avoiding octave D's in the trumpet is also good practice because of the difficulty in keeping that particular note "in tune" between two sections of trumpets. These are all little things, of course, but it all adds up to a better, richer sound on the first few rehearsals when you keep them in mind (and that may be all you get before a performance).

Orchestras are going to have a higher quality of sound in D, G, E, and A diatonic modes, and performers get along fine with them as well. But again, you have similar issues to consider (generally not as many as a wind ensemble, but there still are things to know about orchestrating for the ensemble you're using).

Just some thoughts on that...

Range is definitely an issue on the piano. Not that you will run out of range at either end, but, for example, the tonic chord in (say) the second octave of the piano will only work well in certain keys. Too low, and it's too muddy; too high and there's a loss in richness. This is partly why I find B major very rich.

Certainly. But I guess for the difference between B major and Bb major on a piano, the individual sound of that specific piano and the room where the piano is standing will usually make a greater difference than the key, when it comes to keys that are rather close to each other in distance. On a different piano, in a different room a key that sounds "muddy" in one register, may actually sound very clear etc. So sure, keys make a difference, but particularly on pianos you often can't say in advance what difference it actually will make. But of course the whole topic of "how much difference is significant" is a very individual question.

And Maelstrom: I'm certainly aware that this is not just about pianos, I just made a piano reference as an example. But you're right of course that on some instruments it makes a much more dramatic difference than on others. Most instruments are built with the aim not to create too strong formants, but they are all imperfect - which actually gives them their characteristic sound. And it's obvious that elements such as empty strings give strong resonances that are unavoidable. (Just that on a piano there are so many strings that this effect mostly cancels itself out.)

My favorite are...

E-Flat

C Flat

E Major

and B Major

A MINOR!

D FLAT MAJOR!

G MINOR!

Bb minor and Db major, of course :)

My favorite major key is Es-dur (E flat major). It is used by many romantic composers to write bravura and splendid pieces (Balakirev's Concerto, Quidant's Grande Etude Galop), which can make a great impression. And minor key - d-moll (d minor) - very sentimental and typically minor key. If I want to play or listen to light, airy music, I use D-dur (D major). It was frequently a key of many symphonies of Classical period, which are light and entertainmental.

I dig "B Major" but really E Lydian. I prefer thinking in modes rather than keys usually. So yeah, I love E Lydian and F# Dorian

Key signatures are pretty antiquated. Even "tonal" composers like Barber and Honegger etc were using key signatures in the early 20th century, but cancelled them out immediately in the first 10 measures of the piece and you had to deal with 900 accidentals per bar (especially dealing with the first movement of the Barber piano sonata, in E-flat minor, which is gross).

^Key signatures are only antiquated if you're playing or writing atonal or chromatic music.

As for my favorite keys...C# Minor and E Minor probably. I tend to prefer the minor keys of the major ones, I don't know why.

~Christian

^Key signatures are only antiquated if you're playing or writing atonal or chromatic music.

As for my favorite keys...C# Minor and E Minor probably. I tend to prefer the minor keys of the major ones, I don't know why.

~Christian

Oh my god, you don't know anything.

My point was that composers in the early 20th century who were writing music with VERY suspended tonality were still using key signatures when they didn't need to. When you don't know what you're talking about, don't say anything.

You ignore the fact that there are composers who are writing tonal (and not 'very suspended tonal) music right now. I was responding to your comment that said "key signatures are antiquated," not the rest of your blathering about 20th century composers.

Let's continue with this shall we?

an⋅ti⋅quat⋅ed

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I like key signatures.

My favorite key signatures:

Eb Major

d minor

The Eb major chord is most likely the great major triad in existence. It just sounds so happy and nice and warm and cozy and majestic and graceful and wonderful.

I like Bmajor and I guess... Dminor

i prefer flats.

i dislike sharps.

i prefer flats.

i dislike sharps.

So you like Gbb major, but not A major?

Everyone realizes how absurd this is, right?

i think you knew what i mean, but you just thought too much.

Abbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb mixolydian (modes, keys, whatever)

i think you knew what i mean, but you just thought too much.

I actually don't "sharp and flat" are the same, it's just a matter of perspective. E-flat major, D-sharp major, F-sharp major, G-flat major...

The way they're written is different. One may be harder to read than another.

Greg - he means he prefers the keys that are commonly written with flats in their key signatures. Come on now, are you being intentionally obtuse? Why must you go out of your way to nitpick on stupid stuff when it's obvious what he means?

~Christian

Greg - he means he prefers the keys that are commonly written with flats in their key signatures. Come on now, are you being intentionally obtuse? Why must you go out of your way to nitpick on stupid stuff when it's obvious what he means?

~Christian

He is a she.

So you like Gbb major, but not A major?

Everyone realizes how absurd this is, right?

This would be a good time for:

He is a she.

*laughs* I'm a moron. Cheers for pointing that out.

~Christian

This would be a good time for:

(random internet demotivation poster)

The only time for that was on the OP. "Favourite key"? Would you ask a painter what his favie colour to paint was? Or a writer what his favourite word was?

What next? Favorite articulation? tone? timbre? color to wear at the concert? seat in the audience?

And there's truth to what Greg says... how far back do you have to go before a single key was used in a piece, ignoring minimalist movements, pop music, and songs? And even that stuff isn't necessarily in one key: how many rock songs use a hard modulation?