they were going out of their way
The Key Signature
Now this part will sound strange, and I realize that this may just be me, but I just had to put it in here.
I think that the key signature of Eb (E flat) minor, hereafter Eb, has something special going for it. Songs in Eb just sound 'right' to me. I don't know if there's an explanation for this, but Eb for me is perfect, not too low and not too high. It's the most obvious when I play the piano and I try to play the Take Five piano vamp discussed in the previous pages in a different key. No matter what key I try, it never sounds as satisfying as it does in Eb. First I thought that the other keys sounded strange because I was so used to Eb, and that I always played it in that key signature. So what I decided to do, is that I was going to play Take Five only in C minor. After I did that for a week or so, it still sounded strange to me, even though I played Take Five exactly the same, just three half-steps lower. I never listened to the recording either, so that I would not get influenced by that, but Take Five in C minor just didn't sound like it was supposed to. Then I tried other keys again, and they all didn't sound right. Only when I got back to Eb, the song sounded familiar again.
Brubeck mentioned once that Desmond loved to play in Eb, seeing he had to play in C to achieve the same tone on the alto saxophone. So for alto saxophonists, the key signature of Eb is very natural to play in. This makes things a bit difficult for the pianist, seeing the key of Eb means six flats on the scale! Brubeck probably didn't mind at all, seeing he can play everything in all keys, it made no difference to him. This is evident in a recording of Take Five the Dave Brubeck Quartet did with Carmen McRae, where it's played in the key of G minor, probably because it was easier for McRae to reach all the notes in this key signature. Neither Brubeck, Desmond nor Wright seem to have any problems with the different key signature, seeing they swing on it just as they would normally! Still, to me the difference in key signature is very obvious, even when performed by the same band.
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