I have a small question about music theory (pause for collective groans of anguish.) I’ve been midi-sheet music converting some melodies I’ve liked and or remember nostalgically as a child. My question is about the odd key signatures. Some of them have the familiar two sharps of D major (YAY!) Others have a five flat arrangement that I am told is either a Db Major or a Bb Minor. When one talks about a ‘Bb’ whistle, is it major or minor? Is it possible to play a Bb minor song on any key of whistle?
Five flats is indeed Db major, or Bb minor (although there are different kinds of minors.) However you look at it, five flats is not a common key signature for traditional music, and you will find it … awkward on many traditional instruments.
A “Bb whistle” plays a scale in Bb major, which is two flats. You’d have to add three accidentals via cross-fingering, similar to playing a normal D whistle in the key of F.
A Bb whistle is called that because the bell note is Bb. You will get a major scale in the key of Bb if you just play each note without cross fingering or half holing. That’s not the only key it will play in, however…on most whistles you can easily play in at least two major and two minor keys.
Unfortunately, my theory isn’t strong enough to tell you which whistle you’d need to play a tune in Bb minor. Isn’t it possible to transpose the tune into something you can easily play on your D whistle?
A Bflat whistle plays in Bflat major. You could play an Aminor scale on a D whistle, and get the tune by transposing the whole thing down a half step. Alternatively, I think you could play an Aminor scale (i.e., minor scale starting on XX0 000) on an Eflat whistle and that should get you a true Bflat minor scale. I think…
Raise each note by a half step and the tune will then be in Dmajor hence whistleable . The closest you’ll get to Db is an Eb whistle, cross finger for the Db (C natural fingering on a D) and half-hole to get the Gb. The next closest would be a B but you need two half-hole fingerings rather than one. I usually transcribe every thing into D or G anyway so I don’t have to get my brain around having to relearn competly different fingerings because of a different bell note.
Classic, but also jazzy tone: Re-bemole (Db).
Playing a well-known D slow air in this tone may increase its “wailing” effect. Just watch your friends don’t hang themselves at the end of the tune
Some makers do make whistles in “C#”, same thing. For instance Burke. Also, Daniel Bingammon, who could make you the tube for an existing head, or a complete whistle.
However, to play comfortably both the Db Major and Bb minor, you might as weel seek an alto whistle in Ab (G#) which would give you more flexibility for the various minor scales.
Of course, it would play Ab Major, too (also Eb Major/minor, and some F minor).
Same makers for this tone, too, but I don’t see any reason why most others wouldn’t make you a special tube in the odd tones, if asked.
PS:yes, when one refers to a “Bb” whistle, it means it plays the Bb Major scale, starting from the Bb.
If you’re transcribing from midi, then you might want to consider the source of the midi. If it’s a popular song, you may find that the song has been transposed to fit a particular singers range. For example your Db song could have been written in A, and the singer said “thats too low” so the guitarist puts it up 4 frets using a capo and plays his A chords; but now the actual key is C# (or Db). The midi is created to match the performance so you get that ugly C# or Db key.
Using transcription software can save you some mental gymnastics in transposing and converting formats. I use Melody Assistant (Shareware for under $20) which allow’s you to easily convert from midi and then transpose up or down to find a more comfortable key. In your example I’d transpose it up to D and learn it on a D whistle. I played the tune on other whistles, using the same fingering and it would be in the key (bell note) of that whistle.
In addition to keys being adjusted to match singer’s they can also be adjusted to match other instruments common keys, for example old time fiddle is often played in A and easy piano keys are C or F.
Ugly keys? The only ugly keys I’ve seen were on an old piano where the kids were allowed to bang on them with a hammer. Once a lady told my nephew not to play too loud on the piano, after church. She told him that he’d break the chords!
I really think the difficulty of a key is associated with familiarity. Actually, I’d rather play in Db than in E.
I heard an organist say that he liked to play the introduction of a song in the original key then modulate up a half step when it was time for the people to sing. He said it kept them on their toes!
Okay, so you’d rather play in the key of Db on a D whistle? You must be the speed master of half-holing. I’d rather learn the tune in D on a D whistle and just play it on a Db/C# whistle if the song simply had to be played in Db.
“Ugly” is the way my hand appear on a guitar in the first position trying to play in keys other than A, C, D, E, or G without a capo. So the keys aren’t ugly, but my playing and attitude are, if I’m trying to play the chords for Db,Gb, Ab, even F. All of this is remedied with the use of a capo and a little mental transposition. Folk music tends to be played the easiest way possible so the most folks can participate. So I go for easy.
“Ugly” is the way my hand appear on a guitar in the first position trying to play in keys other than A, C, D, E, or G without a capo. So the keys aren’t ugly, but my playing and attitude are playing the chords for Db,Gb, Ab, even F. All of this is remedied with the use of a capo and a little mental transposition. Folk music tends to be played the easiest way possible so the most folks can participate. So I go for easy.
I agree. When my fellow pickers and I work up a song, they have a heart attack if you say Eb or Bb, so I now just call them D Capo 1, or A Capo 1. This way everybody’s happy, and as Lee says, everyone can happily participate. But I don’t think I’d wanna tackled Db on a whistle! I’d probably get my flute out for that.
I’ve discovered that my midi translation program also does key transposing. So, I transposed my Bb Minor song into a D Major song. And every third note or so is a flat or a sharp (*and I think some are off the two octave scale range, now, too.)
For those whom asked, the song I’ve been working on the most is the flute melody from the theme for The Last Unicorn written by Jay and the Americans.
I’m sorry that I didn’t specify which instrument I was talking about when I said that I would rather play in Db than in E. I was thinking about the piano. I know, this is a whistle site. But, with all the OT threads, I tend to forget which instrument is the star of the show.
. The closest you’ll get to Db is an Eb whistle, cross finger for the Db (C natural fingering on a D) and half-hole to get the Gb. The next closest would be a B but you need two half-hole fingerings rather than one. I usually transcribe every thing into D or G anyway so I don’t have to get my brain around having to relearn competly different fingerings because of a different bell note.