Does your DB ‘prefer’ playing in certain keys?

[TorturedSaints]

Here’s a strange question. I’m convinced that my DB prefers playing in flat keys rather than sharp. My bass just seems to respond and resonate better in flat keys.  It’s not a big difference, it just feels to me as though the sharp notes are a bit ‘choked’.  I know that as a string player, notes such as F#/Gb are not strictly enharmonic when played in tune (which I try to do!) in a flat key or a sharp key, so I don’t know if that has a bearing on it.
 

Is it just a ‘me’ thing, meaning I need to practice more in sharp keys or do other DBs have idiosyncrasies like this? 

[tinyd]

I can see how the bass might "prefer" certain notes in that it resonates better and so on. But I can't see how this might be the case for flat keys vs sharp ones in general. As you say, you're more comfortable in certain keys than others (as most of us are) and so your hand shape, fingering etc might be subtly better and therefore you stop the notes more cleanly?

[Bloopdad1]

It's a you thing.... 😁 

[JoeEvans]

I'm struggling to get my head around this given that every flat is also a sharp, eg B flat = A sharp...

[Beedster]

19 hours ago, tinyd said:

I can see how the bass might "prefer" certain notes in that it resonates better and so on. But I can't see how this might be the case for flat keys vs sharp ones in general. As you say, you're more comfortable in certain keys than others (as most of us are) and so your hand shape, fingering etc might be subtly better and therefore you stop the notes more cleanly?

 

That seems to be the most probable explanation 👍

[bassace]

Perhaps it’s because the bass prefers jazz over rock. 

[itu]

14 hours ago, JoeEvans said:

I'm struggling to get my head around this given that every flat is also a sharp, eg B flat = A sharp...

When Greek were playing in just intonation, intervals were based on simple numbers (ratios, like 1:2, 3:2 etc.). The problem was that you could play in only one key at a time, like A# major. You could not play blues, except in one key. Chord progressions would have sounded really weird.

 

This meant that an instrument had to be tuned to one key at a time. (Check lutes, gambas etc. with moving frets.)

 

For those interested:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma

 

Things started to change during 15th century, because of the  tempered scale. All of the tempered scale intervals do not sound exact, but pretty close ("It's... good enough." -Mediocrates). The biggest advantage is that now you could modulate from key to key, and chord progressions became possible.

 

A# and Bb are the same if we use tempered scale, but not necessarily in just intonation.

 

 

 

A sidenote:

Here we have been talking about western scales (a chromatic, tempered octave, 12 notes). There are many other systems, where the octave is divided to some other amount of notes, like 31, or 32. As we have learned to use 12 notes, other systems sound odd, but not for those who have learned that particular system.

 

There are not many things that are absolute in music. Most of the stuff is based on agreements, starting from that A is 440 Hz. Except that some use Baroque A, around 415 Hz, or symphony bands that tune their instruments to 443 Hz, or...

[TorturedSaints]

Ok it’s a me thing.  Although it doesn’t happen on my EUB.  Thanks everyone. 

[TorturedSaints]

2 minutes ago, itu said:

When Greek were playing in just intonation, intervals were based on simple numbers (ratios, like 1:2, 3:2 etc.). The problem was that you could play in only one key at a time, like A# major. You could not play blues, except in one key. Chord progressions would have sounded really weird.

 

This meant that an instrument had to be tuned to one key at a time. (Check lutes, gambas etc. with moving frets.)

 

For those interested:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pythagorean_comma

 

Things started to change during 15th century, because of the  tempered scale. All of the tempered scale intervals do not sound exact, but pretty close ("It's... good enough." -Mediocrates). The biggest advantage is that now you could modulate from key to key, and chord progressions became possible.

 

A# and Bb are the same if we use tempered scale, but not necessarily in just intonation.

 

 

 

A sidenote:

Here we have been talking about western scales (a chromatic, tempered octave, 12 notes). There are many other systems, where the octave is divided to some other amount of notes, like 31, or 32. As we have learned to use 12 notes, other systems sound odd, but not for those who have learned that particular system.

 

There are not many things that are absolute in music. Most of the stuff is based on agreements, starting from that A is 440 Hz. Except that some use Baroque A, around 415 Hz, or symphony bands that tune their instruments to 443 Hz, or...

Thanks for explaining it better than I ever could! 

[NickA]

My bass might like playing F, Bflat, Eflat and Aflat.... But my stubby little left hand fingers don't.  The bass can like what it likes, but I'm the boss and I choose the notes 😁.

 

But as for the sound, I like flat keys and modes ..I think because it's flattening notes in a scale that creates the ambiguity and melancholy of blues through to minor scales.  Sharpening notes feels like an attempt to force things to sound cheery.... like those awful songs that run out of ideas and suddenly go up a 5th to brighten things up ( listen to "we had joy we had fun, we had seasons in the sun" without wincing.)

[Owen]

My bass loves those keys with open strings in them. 

[Beedster]

48 minutes ago, Owen said:

My bass loves those keys with open strings in them. 

Mine’s the opposite 

[carlsim]

It's a funny thing, when I first started playing, i got involved with a local jazz big band playing DB and electric on some numbers. It was a lot of reading dots which was a great learning curve and I did notice that with big bands, arrangement - due to the transposing nature of brass and woodwind instruments, you tend to find yourself reading flat keys a heck of a lot more than sharp keys. That's not to say that ALL big band arrangements are in flat keys, but arrangers definitely seem to prefer flat keys when writing for big bands... that's my experience anyway! 

Now, 30 years down the line of reading gigs, function, theatre work etc. I always seem at ease when I see a flat key signature but pucker up a little when I see 5 sharps! 5 flats.... no worries, 5 sharps... concentrate!! It's not so much of a tone thing, but maybe you get used to hearing your instrument more in certain keys so maybe it becomes more familiar to you? I certainly feel happier playing wise and sound wise when I see flats rather than sharps....

Just my opinion of course!

[tinyd]

2 hours ago, carlsim said:

It's a funny thing, when I first started playing, i got involved with a local jazz big band playing DB and electric on some numbers. It was a lot of reading dots which was a great learning curve and I did notice that with big bands, arrangement - due to the transposing nature of brass and woodwind instruments, you tend to find yourself reading flat keys a heck of a lot more than sharp keys. That's not to say that ALL big band arrangements are in flat keys, but arrangers definitely seem to prefer flat keys when writing for big bands... that's my experience anyway! 

Now, 30 years down the line of reading gigs, function, theatre work etc. I always seem at ease when I see a flat key signature but pucker up a little when I see 5 sharps! 5 flats.... no worries, 5 sharps... concentrate!! It's not so much of a tone thing, but maybe you get used to hearing your instrument more in certain keys so maybe it becomes more familiar to you? I certainly feel happier playing wise and sound wise when I see flats rather than sharps....

Just my opinion of course!

I never read dots on a gig, but I do read chord charts a lot and I tense up slightly if I see a G# chord as opposed to Ab, so my bass (i.e. me) definitely sounds worse in sharp keys