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Thread: How do you choose key?

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    West Palm Beach, FL
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    How do you choose key?

    When there is solo you want to play (in church for instance) and it's available in several keys, how do you decide which key is best? Do you choose the key that is easiest for you and the accompanist, sounds best on your instrument, or one that is pitched right for a tenor vocalist to sing? (I use 'tenor' because the euphonium is considered a tenor instrument)

    For instance, I've played The Lord's Prayer (Albert Hay Malotte) several times in church. It's published in several keys and I have it in Bb and Db. I've played in mostly in concert Bb because my wife tells me my horn sounds better in that range. But... she likes the bass voice in vocal groups so may be biased. The key of Bb is a range that a tenor soloist could sing very easily, but I've heard many tenor soloists sing it in Db and even Eb (Demondrae Thurman played it in 'F' I think on that YouTube video link).

    So how do you decide on key? Thanks.
    Rick Floyd
    Miraphone 5050 - Warburton BJ / RF mpc
    YEP-641S (recently sold)
    Doug Elliott - 102 rim; I-cup; I-9 shank


    "Always play with a good tone, never louder than lovely, never softer than supported." - author unknown.
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  2. #2

    How do you choose key?

    Well, the first consideration is the accompanist. Since that happens to be my wife, if she says, "No WAY am I playing that thing in five sharps! Are you NUTS?", well, that's a bit of a showstopper.

    Just recently I also played "The Lord's Prayer" by Malotte in church. The choices I had were in C major and in Eb major. I chose Eb because, for that piece, most of it falls in what I call the "sweet" range. If it's too low and the phrasing is long, that means I have to drop volume in order to keep from running out of air. It's nice when I don't have to worry about that.

    So a second considerations is where the piece lies on the horn.

    The actual key doesn't really make a difference to me. If I need to brush up on the key of C# minor to play a fast run, so be it.

    U.S. Army, Retired (built mid-1950s)
    Adams E2 Euph (built 2017)
    Boosey & Co. Imperial Euph (built 1941)
    Edwards B454 Bass Trombone (built 2012)
    Boosey & Hawkes Imperial Eb tuba (built 1958)
    Kanstul 33-T lBBb tuba (built 2010)

  3. #3

    How do you choose key?

    I would suggest finding a key where the melody centers into the 'cash register' of the horn. Then you can adjust up or down to a key that both of you are comfortable with.

    Ken F.

  4. How do you choose key?

    Rick, I also had to make a decision about this exact same piece just 2 weeks ago. I chose B flat over E flat mostly because my organist and I had already performed it in that key before. The other reason was that I liked the darker, warmer sound I got out of the horn in that register (Though I admit I too might be biased since I'm a baritone).

    Another thing to consider is whether you are playing with a choir or group of chamber singers. Some keys sit really well in the voice and other keys seem like they just don't like to be sung.

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