Towards the Proper Pitching of 78 rpm Records.
Part 1.
There are many problems associated with
the transfer, treatment and restoration of historic ‘78’ rpm recordings.
This first article is concerned with just
one of them: namely, what speed should the '78' be played at? We put 78 in
quotes here, because quite a variety of speeds were used. Sometimes, even, the
rpm gradually varies as the record plays!
If we play it too fast, the pitch of the
music will rise, and of course, the performance will be shortened. These are
both distortions of what was originally recorded. The converse is of course
also true: too low a rotational speed will lower the pitch of the music, song
or speech, and also make it last longer than it should. Both these are wrong
too.
This matter has occupied 78 enthusiasts
for many years, and the author thought it might be of interest if he set down,
in a light-hearted style, a few simple methods that - it seemed to him - might
be employed to come to the most likely decision as to the True Pitch of certain
78 rpm records.
This article is specifically confined to
early
You do not need extensive musical skills;
but you do need to able to relate the music on the disc to some external
reference. That reference might, most conveniently, be a keyboard.
And what is this ‘Standard Pitch’?
For our purposes –
Quite simply, the note A above middle C
on the piano (or any other instrument playing the same note) has a fundamental
frequency of 440 cycles per second, or Hertz as they are called now (and have
been called in Germany for a very long time indeed). Here is an mp3 file of 10
seconds of a 440 Hz tone: click here .
All other notes have fixed fundamental frequencies related to that 'master'
note. And, of course, the frequency doubles when you go up an octave. The A an
octave above our reference note is (naturally) 880 Hz: click here ; and the A an octave below it is (equally obviously)
220 Hz: click
here . The ‘musical
impression’ of these three notes is the same: they are all simply the note ‘A’,
but in different pitches.
Here is a picture of part of my cheap midi keyboard.
They’re all the same layout, however many keys they may have on them, and
however big (or small) the actual keys may be. They simply must be like this,
because of the way western music has evolved over many centuries. Unfortunately
(and this is but the first of many inconvenient things we shall encounter), our
basic scale does not start on A, our pitch standard, and for that matter the
first letter of the alphabet. No; the basic scale starts on C, and goes up 8
notes - an octave you see? - before
it gets to double the pitch of the note you started on. The whole keyboard
consists of these repeating patterns of C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C. As does each string on
the neck of a guitar, a violin, a mandolin, a ’cello or indeed whatever string
or wind instrument we may consider, even though they are all vastly different
in many ways.
I am not clever enough to make a picture
of a keyboard such that you can click on each key and hear the note it plays;
but I can provide you with a YouTube video of me playing and announcing these 8
notes shown in red on the above picture. Just
click here .
But what, you ask, are the short black
keys which interpose themselves between most - though not all - the basic white
notes, or tones? Well, these black
keys sound notes that are approximately half
way between the main white notes. Why, you ask, is there not a black key
between all the white notes? I cannot answer you, because I know little of the
evolution of western music. In fact, I know little of music altogther; and
indeed have some reservations about going into music at all in this article, as
‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’. But as our ultimate goal is to
select the correct rotational speed of an old Jazz 78 rpm record, and not to
launch you on a career as a concert pianist, I guess it will probably be OK for
me to carry on. 8^) Suffice it to say
there are twelve semitones in an
octave and not 16 as one might expect.
And it is possible to begin a ‘major
scale’, of the format I played above, on any of these twelve semitones, and
finish an octave higher. These give us the twelve major keys in which music may be performed. (There are minor keys too; we come to them later).
If you don’t have a keyboard, but play a
musical instrument, that will often be convenient to use; I sometimes use my
clarinet rather than a keyboard, but still the same thing applies: your
instrument must be in tune.
I intend to enliven what might otherwise
be a very boring subject with a variation: it will be cast as a series of
supposed dialogues between a pupil and teacher, with some interludes. This has
been a common form of teaching since Classical times, so who am I to argue?
Here comes the first....
Dialogue #1.
[It
is early Spring. The Sage and the Neophyte are seated in comfortable low chairs
by the fireside. A bottle and glasses stand on a convenient table. Outside it
is dark and stormy: rain sometimes patters on the windows, and occasional gusts
of wind are audible.]
Neophyte. [Rather impatiently]: Very well then. But what do we actually need to do?
Sage. In a nutshell, adjust the pitch of
the record until it comes into line with our Standard Keyboard.
N. But was their Standard the same as
ours?
S. Ahh! There you have hit upon the
keynote of the entire question! In the case of Jazz and Dance records made in
the
N. Fair enough! Now what?
S. We need to find out what key the first
part of our record is in.
N. But how can you find that out? From
what you’ve already said, there are 12 basic keys, each only a one-half-note
(semitone) apart! It might be one, but equally well the very-nearby key
immediately above it, or the one immediately below! They would all sound really
quite similar?
S. You are an adept pupil! Indeed, those
keys you mentioned would sound relatively similar; but you have yourself gone
straight to the Basic Tool we will be employing: because, you see, of those three keys you mention, only two are candidates for
investigation, and most often only one of them would need evaluation!
N. Uuuh??? How can you possibly know
that?
S. [Looking irritatingly smug and taking a
sip of wine]: We have our
methods! But don't worry; they will shortly be yours, too…
N. But look here, I didn't actually name a key, like C, or B! How can you
say that sometimes only one of three (maybe more!) possible keys need be
investigated? And this before we've even put a record on the turntable? When
you've demonstrated how to test a record, and it comes out to the key of B,
say, how can you be so sure it isn't B flat or C instead? That's three
possibilities, every time!
S. You have never played in an old-style
Dance or Jazz Band, I take it?
N. No.
S. I knew it already, before I asked! The
whole point is, my dear young fellow, if a record played at 78 did come out in the key of
B, it is almost certain that the pitch is wrong. Because it would be extremely
unusual for a Dance or Jazz Band to play in the key of B – except perhaps at
the point of a gun or unless some collective insanity had broken out! I don't
say none ever did, but it
is very, very unusual.
N. Well, you can explain why that is
later! But if B is 'right out', then the record is either too fast or too slow. Now if we
speed it up it would go up to C, and if we slow it down it would go to B flat.
Did bands play in those keys?
S. Indeed they did, and very frequently!
So we would then proceed to thoroughly investigate those 2 keys!
N. [Excitedly]: What other keys did bands not play in, so that we
can (largely) reject these keys at 78 rpm?
S. Dear me! Your enthusiasm is
commendable, but really that's enough for one session! Come, your wineglass is
empty; permit me to fill it for you. [He does so, then reaches down beside his chair,
picking up some white-label 78s]
Oh, by the way, have you heard these Odeon test pressings of The Goofus Five,
made in
N. But everybody knows The Goofus Five
never went to
S. Ahh! Everybody thinks The
Goofus Five never went to
[Both
exit]
Interlude.
Demonstration
of how to get into the key.
We always start by playing the record at
78. After all, we have to start somewhere, and the record might even be correct
at 78, right?
And, for at least two important reasons
that you have probably thought of already, we always begin at the beginning of
the disc, not halfway through or at the end?
Let's pick a well-known record. The
February 1917 record of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band playing 'Dixieland 
Jass Band One Step'.
What's that? You don't like it?
Pray, please bear with the eccentricities of the admitted dotard writing this stuff!
In any case, you may be required to transfer it some day, (at a suitable fee, I
trust). Where would we be if people refused to transfer 78s just because they
don’t like them? At least you've heard it before, so that is a good start!
Having readied our keyboard, it's now
time to play the record itself, as we said, at 78 rpm. (Actually 78.26 rpm, but
that’s not important right now.)
We'll just familiarise ourselves with the
first section, which is always where we start our investigation.
Click here to play the first
section .
It's just a short section of 16 bars,
made up by the band playing an 8 bar fanfare-like theme twice. Play it several
times, if you like, to get used to it (even though you may not like it!)
You notice that this small section which
we've isolated sounds quite complete in itself? In particular, that each of the
2 identical 8-bar phrases musically 'comes to rest' at its end, albeit very
briefly at this fast tempo?
In other words, it 'resolves'.
A Rule of Thumb is that sections of music
tend to 'resolve' like this, and come to rest at their basic key.
It’s known as the 'tonic'. Or in other
words, the 'Home Key'.
It's true, many melodies start on the tonic chord, too; but
by no means all.
However, virtually everything ends on the tonic. That's why
we're interested in the end of this short section.
If we can identify the note on our
keyboard that corresponds to the 'tonic' of our sample, we shall know what key
it is in!
Now
click this YouTube link and we'll try to do just that!
Dialogue #2
[The
Sage and the Neophyte are reclining on couches outdoors on a hot afternoon on a
legendary island in the
N. Well, we found out that the key is B
flat at 78 rpm. You already said before that B was a 'Forbidden Key' for Jazz bands,
so that gets rid of the key above. But what about A, the key below?
S. [Rather sententiously] The key of A may be considered, for our purposes, to
be a 'Forbidden Key' also. I'll explain more about this later.
N. O.K.: not B, or A. But what if it were
further away still? What if it was the next key lower, say in A flat? Or the
next key above, higher still, like in C?
[The
Sage rolls his eyeballs upwards, as if in the grip of a transient
indisposition. Depositing his goblet on a nearby marble table, he makes a
magical pass with his hand. The Debussy is instantly stilled, and the previous
sample is heard again, but now in the key of C…]
To hear it yourself, click this
link
N. Hey! Something's gone wrong with the
speed control!
S. No: not really; except that it's obviously far too fast in C! We
don't need any frequency counters to tell us that, do we? It just sounds plain
silly doesn't it?
N. [Humbly] Yes. And so I guess I don't need to hear my other
suggestion of A flat...
S. [Michievously] Oh, but you do! [Makes pass with his hand, and the
sample is heard again, this time in A flat] Click
here to listen to it.
N. [Tentatively] Well, although it sounds a bit slow, it's not as 'off-the-beam'
as the last sample... Could this be the true key?
S. For reasons which will appear fairly
soon down the page, no. Just take my word for it at this stage.
N. O.K., Sage! So there's really only one
choice! 'Dixieland Jass Band One-Step' on Victor 18255 is in the key of B
flat! Just by checking out the end of one little section with a keyboard, I can
tell that for a fact! That's tremendous!
[The
merest suggestion of a frown crosses the brow of the Sage. As if to gain time
for thought, he motions to the pitcher bearer to refill his golden goblet,
inlaid with silver wire spelling out proverbs in a language so old that it was
virtually unknown even to the people who used to speak and write it...]
S. [With a trace of asperity] Hardly! All we may dare to say at this early stage in
our investigation is that the disc begins
in B flat! But, have we not also established something else,
almost equally important, eh?
N. Duh...
S. [In his usual kindly tone] What we have
established (assuming only that A=440 was used in the
N. Duh... it starts in B flat...?
S. Y-e-e-s; but beyond that, what? Look:
what speed did we play the record at?
N. 78 rpm.
S. Right! And it was in a proper, valid
key - namely B flat - at that speed, wasn't it? So what does that mean?
N. [Inspirationally] Victor recorded it at 78 rpm?
S. [Exultantly] My Son! Excellent! You surpass yourself! Well done!
Yes, the 'official ' speed of 78 rpm is indeed (in this particular case) the correct speed for the
passage we tested! [Becomes businesslike] And now, enough work for today! Pitcher-bearer! Take
away that cold, drab white wine and bring us the rich dark fuming red wine that
bespeaks of Earthly Pleasures!
[He
indicates to a young Nymph to attend the Neophyte more closely. Smiling, he
beckons towards himself Another, admittedly no longer in the first bloom of her
youth, but who bears a striking resemblance to Walt Disney’s ‘Tinkerbell’…]
Interlude.
Rather than, as the Neophyte suggested,
compile a list of keys that bands didn’t
play in during the 1920s & early 1930s, it is simpler to list those in
which they did play, as these are
relatively few. Here they are:
|
G |
C |
F |
B
flat |
E
flat |
A flat |
D
flat |
These are the 'preferred keys' for Jazz
and Dance Bands. You'll notice that they are biased toward the keys that have
flats in the ‘key signature’ as it’s called. The reason for this was almost
certainly the rise of the trumpet, clarinet and saxophones in popular music.
These are usually pitched in B flat or E flat. Previously, stringed instruments
reigned supreme, and these favoured keys such as E, A, D, G, C. But in any case
we don't really have to 'get into' all this technical stuff. Just a few simple
guidelines should suffice.
An important one is that the 7 keys above
are laid out in a specific order, or progression.
G has one sharp. C is the 'basic' key,
without sharps or flats. F has one flat. B flat has 2 flats. E flat has 3
flats. A flat has 4 flats. D flat has 5 flats. Let’s present that more clearly:
|
G |
C |
F |
B
flat |
E
flat |
A
flat |
D
flat |
|
1
sharp |
No
sharps or flats |
1
flat |
2
flats |
3
flats |
4
flats |
5
flats |
This 'standard progression' of keys is central
to our immediate purpose, as we shall now see.
Dialogue #3
[A
dirty wooden peasant shack; the floor littered with old newspapers and empty
tin cans. The temperature is well below zero. The windows are thick with grime,
and the only illumination is from a 40-watt light bulb so dirty and fly-blown
that, when switched on, it makes the room darker… (Spike Milligan invented that
last one, bless him!)]
S. [huddled in a threadbare military
greatcoat bearing tarnished Imperial Russian insignia] Would you care to sum up progress so far?
N. Yes; it's very simple! Dixie Jazz Band
One Step was correctly recorded by Victor at 78 rpm, and is in the key of B
flat!
S. No: remember that only applied to the
beginning: the first sixteen bars to be precise.
N. You mean something's going to happen?
S. [Irritably] Something will certainly happen unless we get out of
this dump soon! [He pours the last few drops of vodka from a bottle
into a filthy, chipped enamel mug. He does not drink, but merely glowers at it...] In the meantime, we'd better play the next section
and see, right? Please click here
N. It doesn't sound all that different...
S. Well, let's get to work on it with our
keyboard and see...
Click
this link for the YouTube video of testing this section...
N. Great Scott! It's in another key!
S. Absolutely! The first section was in B
flat, and now this section is in E flat! Variety is the spice of life you know!
[As
if to underline - or possibly mock - his words, a ragged fusillade of distant
shots is heard from outside, accompanied by the stutter of a machine gun, which
immediately ceases, it having evidently jammed. The two men instinctively
shrink in their seats, as a couple of shots thud into the roof of their shack.
Nothing else happens, except for the tinkle of falling icicles, and trickles of dust slowly descending from the
roof to the floor.]
N. When do you think General Denikin will
reach here to rescue us, Sage?
S. Never mind about that now! We must
press on, or else this web-page will become intolerably long! The record we are
considering actually then goes back to the original key, repeats the whole
procedure, and eventually ends up with this final theme. Click here to hear it.
N. It sounds as though it's gone into
another, new key!
S. Ah! You're learning fast! Click
here for the YouTube video of the final theme.
N. Wow! That's three keys in this piece! B flat, E flat and A flat!
We've analysed the record at last! By the way, I noticed this latest (and last)
test section was the conclusion of the record. The ODJB play that final 32-bar
theme three times: why did you pick the last of those three instead of the
first? You said that we should always start at the beginning of sections,
didn't you?
S. Yes, I did! But now you must listen
very carefully, for there are two
very important things interwoven here. Firstly, when bands repeat
themes, they do not completely
resolve; they..
N. But you said that everything always
resolves at the end and...
S. SILENCE! [The Sage, exasperated, shouts so loud
that further trickles of dust descend, though no icicles. The Neophyte is suitably
abashed. The Sage continues, suddenly weary] If another of the same theme is to follow, the general
rule is that they resolve briefly, but then introduce a different chord (maybe
two or three) to lead into
the repeat theme. It's sometimes called a 'turn-around'. I picked the last of
the three themes because the end of that one is the end of the whole piece; at
which, of course, it resolves completely.
And for our purposes at this stage, things that resolve completely are much easier to
analyse! Moreover, the ODJB has the commendable habit of playing a little 'tag'
on the end of their numbers which repeats the resolution. This makes it easier
still for us to check the key!
N. [Humbly] The second interwoven thing?
S. The record we have been studying can
genuinely be held up as an excellent example of the sound recordist's Art. The
band played a piece with sections in B flat, E flat and A flat, and these keys are consistent throughout the
record, to the extent that we were able to use the last chorus as an
evaluation of the final key. Do you realise what this means?
N. Er... er... I think so, yes! Does it
mean that the record kept up the same speed (established as 78) from start to
finish? While if the last theme (or indeed any intervening theme) had gradually
gone out of tune, we would have had to conclude that the original speed of the
record, established carefully by us, was changing and was likely to need final graded overall
correction, depending on whether it was playing gradually faster... or, (as is
almost always the case) slower? [With alarm...] Master! What's wrong?
[Tears
are running down the wrinkled cheeks of The Sage. He lurches out of his chair
and tenderly holds the Neophyte by his shoulders, looking into the Neophyte's
young, concerned face with a mixture of exaltation and respect. His lips move,
but only after some time, do articulate sounds emerge....]
S. [Brokenly] Wonderful... intuitive thought... future of
human race secure... potential Sage material, will go far..!
[This
admittedly embarrassing interlude is interrupted by the sound of a motor-lorry
floundering in the snow, but undoubtedly nearing the shack. The Sage rushes to
the window, squints out through the grime. Aghast at what he sees, he tears off
his greatcoat, desperately motioning the Neophyte to do likewise. Beneath his
army coat, the Neophyte is wearing an anonymous grey shirt and white(ish)
trousers. The Sage, sans his greatcoat, is seen to be wearing the full regalia
of an Archbishop of the Russian Orthodox Church. Doing a double-take worthy of
Tex Avery at his best, he scrabbles out of it, while under his panic-stricken
direction, the Neophyte stuffs both greatcoats and the Sacred Apparel down
under the rotten floorboards in a corner of the shack. The Sage is now clad
only in an old sack, but which bears on each side a large, crudely-painted
hammer and sickle , plus a five-pointed red star for luck. The door of the
shack bursts open and a small but exceedingly well-armed and truculent rabble
of Bolshevik irregulars enters in confusion]
S. [In a great and confident voice]: Fraternal Greetings, tovarischi of the
deservedly Glorious Red Army! I, Fyodor Andropovich Andropov, congratulate you
on your intrepid dexterity in recapturing so much of our Beloved Motherland,
until recently temporarily held by the abominable General Denikin! I, and my
assistant here, have been held prisoner by him and his cowardly forces in this
disgraceful hovel for many days. An indignity which, as personally-appointed
representative and plenipotentiary of Bronst.. I mean the great Leon Trotsky
himself, you will assuredly deplore as much as I do! [Here
the Sage waves an impressive piece of typewritten paper covered with many
writings in violet and green ink. Actually, it is a 1950s provisional
discography of The Blackbirds of
Rabble: [Greatly impressed] We hear and obey, comrade!
Interlude.
Did you notice something? What, that my
mind is seriously deranged? Good heavens, it's been like that for decades! No,
I meant about the keys we discovered were used in this record?
Let's set them out in comparison with the
previous table of 'preferred keys':
|
Preferred: |
G |
C |
F |
B
flat |
E
flat |
A
flat |
D
flat |
|
O.D.J.B.: |
|
|
|
B
flat |
E
flat |
A
flat |
|
|
|
1
sharp |
No
sharps or flats |
1
flat |
2
flats |
3
flats |
4
flats |
5
flats |
The keys, in the order they were used,
‘climb up the ladder’ of preferred keys!
Many early compositions used this ‘standard progression’ of
keys.
On the other hand, it's quite possible to
have a piece with two, three, even four or more sections that are all in the
same key. But early on (don't ask me when), it became customary to change to a
new key. The spice of life and all that. And the most obvious (or perhaps
fundamental is a better word) key change is to ‘climb up to the next rung of
the ladder’.
If you look for some 'reductio ad absurdum', it would be perfectly correct if you wrote
a piece with seven themes, each one in the next key 'up the ladder': six steps
from G to D flat. Doubtless a number of such pieces have been written; but they
evidently languish in the obscurity they probably deserve, because I've never
heard of one in the field of Jazz or Dance Music. (Remember, this whole page is
confined to that genre). Writing a mediocre piece in many keys is no substitute
for writing a really good piece in one key!
When the Neophyte suggested that 'Dixie
Jass Band One Step' just might have
started in A flat (necessitating, mind you, a reduction in speed of around twelve per cent from 78!) the Sage
was able to blow that one out of the water, by the fact that if it had done so, it would have
progressed 'up the ladder' from A flat to D flat to G flat. That last key I
haven't even bothered to include in the ladder. While Duke Ellington probably
wrote stuff for his band in that key in the 1930s (or even in the late 1920s)
it's such a rare key for 'basic' use that the Sage was quite justified in
rejecting the suggestion. Be sure, G flat is effectively a 'Forbidden Key', for
our purposes.
Let me emphasise that this progression of
keys only held sway early on. You really can't have hard and fast rules in this
game. Only guidelines. We'll go into other key changes later, on the second
page in this series.
But right now, let's have a list of a few
early Jazz type numbers that change key 'up the ladder'...
'Buddy's Habit'. This has two themes in B flat and the third and final
theme in E flat. (Note: you don't have to change key when you
introduce a new theme!)
'Ostrich Walk'. E flat and A flat.
'Fidgety Feet'. B flat, E flat, A flat.
'
'
'The Pearls'. Three themes, two in G, one in C.
'Froggie Moore'. Two in B flat, one in E flat.
Johnny Bayersdorffer's 'I Wonder Where My Easy Rider's Riding Now' (OKeh,
1924) seems to be a rare example of a three-theme tune that goes from C to F to
B flat. It's using the 'ladder' but this is the only Jazz tune I've ever come
across that uses those particular keys. Of course the perennial 'Alexander's
Ragtime Band' has the verse in C and the chorus in F, but then again, Irving
Berlin will always surprise you!
(By the way, the Neophyte can't read
these notes! He has to learn the hard way!)
I wonder where they'll turn up next?
Let's see...
Dialogue #4
[A
modern executive's office looking out over a prosperous city. Both our heroes
are clad in dark business suits and wearing those patterned ties that all
business people seem to have to wear now. Of course the Sage has a larger (and
somewhat more elaborate) pattern on his tie than the Neophyte's...]
S. [Buzzes intercom] No more telephone calls please, Gloria...
N. I didn't know there were still
secretaries called Gloria! I mean our surroundings are apparently early 21st
century, and..
S. You're right; the scene was indeed
supposed to be set around 2010. Alas, a small and hopefully inconsequential
glitch has incorporated some 1940s elements into this particular parallel
universe. I doubt if they will be a problem, however. Anyhow, let's apply all
you've learned to check out another record!
N. Oh, great! Which one is it?
S. 'Clarinet Marmalade' by the ODJB, recorded in 1918.
N. Couldn't we get away from the ODJB, or
at least out of the acoustic era?
S. Hmm; important as they are in the
origins and evolution of Jazz, there is no especial need for us to dwell
overlong on this extremely early period; but as I have already prepared the
samples and burned a CDR of them...[he makes a Gallic shrug....]
N. O.K. I'll just click this link to activate the first
section.....
S. This is a short 8-bar introduction.
You'll by now recognise the fact that it resolves quite firmly. So it should be
easy to find the home key!
N. [Confidently] Yep: should be pretty easy now we know what we're
doing.....
[The
Sage turns away and waggles his eyebrows.....]
Here's
the video link for this evaluation.
N. The record wasn't recorded at exactly 78 rpm!
S. No: recording speeds were often quite
variable, even with major companies – like Victor. We'll
need to test further... Now what speed did they record it at? Let’s
look at it again. Well, we had to reduce it by 2.5% to get the
introduction in the key of F, so what speed was it recorded at?
[The
Neophyte repeats this question into his wrist-wradio-tv (plus mobile 'phone
plus personal organiser plus wrist-top). A tiny voice replies: '76.05 rpm'. A
thin thread of music begins, and the voice continues: 'This calculation was
brought to you by courtesy of Acme Finance. Right now, Acme Finance have
unrivalled Loan packages...erk.!!' The voice disappears as the Neophyte stabs
at the minuscule buttons on the wrist-wradio]
S. We must press on! Having re-pitched
the whole side 2.5% slower, let's
first hear the next section....
N. So this first theme is still in the
key of F.
S. Correct. The introduction to a piece
and its first theme are generally in the same key, but don't rely on it. Don't rely on anything: check it out!
F'rinstance, the introduction to the tune 'Eccentric' is in F but the first
theme is in C; things like that... There
follows a little bridge passage, which we will ignore, and go to the next
section: click
here to listen to it. And now let us check the
key: click
here for the video link
N. Looks like the whole side is going to
be in the key of F! Are there any more themes?
S. Yes, but as we've nearly finished this
chapter, let's get some refreshment! [He crosses to a discreet cocktail cabinet, opens it
and continues speaking, his voice accompanied by the agreeable tinkle of ice
falling into expensive crystal glasses, and the burble of liquor being poured
thereon...] Yes, the very normal
and common key of F has been used throughout the record so far. Let's see if it carries on
N. Hey! It sounds similar and different
at the same time!
S. [Placing glass in front of Neophyte, and
taking a sip from his own] Mmmmm!
That's good!
N. You mean it's good for things to be similar and
different at the same time? But the Most Sacred Principles of our Order would
be defied! Chaos, anarchy and eventual oblivion would surely follow.....?
S. [Impishly] Actually, I was talking about this very welcome
bourbon! As to the key you just heard, permit me to introduce to you a very
nice key. It's one of the family of minor
keys! It's time we met them. After all, the keys we've dealt with so far have
all been major keys.
N. [Aghast] Another whole family of keys? But this is going to
make things really complicated!
How many of these families are there, for heaven's sake?
S. Just two for our purposes, you'll be
happy to learn! Just major and minor! Let's
check out this one...
N. [Crestfallen] So it's D minor. Big Deal! Probably any minor key
could have come up: this means there will always be many tedious possibilities
to explore! I certainly don't like these minor keys!
S. No, no, no, no, no! Minor keys, in
Dance, Jazz and many other musics, most often bear a definite and specific
relationship to the major keys. This key of D minor has a specific relationship
with F. Indeed, D minor is called 'The Relative Minor' of F. They go together,
as a pair. Many tunes use D minor and F as their main keys! This relationship
actually makes stronger and more plain the true key of a record; if a minor key
appears, it may well be the relative minor.
N. [Brightening] I would have thought F minor would have been the
Relative Minor of F!
S. [Refilling their glasses] No. But a *very few* tunes do change key in that
manner: B flat to B flat minor, F to F minor, G to G minor and so on. A very
famous one to do so is 'St. Louis Blues'. It's normally played in G, and the
minor 'tango' part is in G minor. Here is a list of our ladder of 'preferred
keys' with their relative minors:
|
Major
Key |
Relative
Minor |
|
G |
E
minor |
|
C |
A
minor |
|
F |
D
minor |
|
B
flat |
G
minor |
|
E
flat |
C
minor |
|
A
flat |
F
minor |
|
D
flat |
B
flat minor |
And, we know by listening to it, that
this record of ‘Clarinet Marmalade’ by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, though
it plays various themes, and in various orders, is all in the same key of F
except for one interlude that is in D minor, that being the relative minor of
F. Also, the record stayed pretty well in tune throughout, so that playback
speed of 76 rpm we arrived at is good for the whole side.
N. Usually it's you who call an end to
the proceedings... but today it's me! My brain will need time to digest all
this!
S. That is in fact the end of the page!
In any case, it's necessary not only to call a halt because WE both need
further refreshment, but mainly because Norman Field, the guy who's actually
writing all this garbage, has got into such a mess with his filenames, links
and so on that he needs some time to sort them all out. Actually, I doubt he'll
ever get it all up onto the 'net... and if he does, it will never work; I’ve seen this sort of
over-ambitious web-page before!
Field: [suddenly appearing] Oh, yeah? Wise guys! We'll see! Moreover, you two may
be called back to elaborate on this business some more! Come on, Gloria! I’ve
got two tickets for the Darktown Strutters’ Ball, and I wanna be the foist one
to ‘shake a leg’!
[The
office door opens, and the secretary enters]
Gloria: Hi,
[The
secretary, admittedly no longer in the first bloom of her youth, bears a
striking resemblance to Walt Dinsey’s Tinkerbell. The Sage’s jaw drops…]
Norman and Gloria: ’Bye now….
[All
Exit]
…and to go to Part 2 of this
article, just click here.
1st January
2010.