Ok, to get the new Power Tips series underway with a bang, we'll start with something controversial! Power Tip Number one is:
Don't practice everything in every key
Nearly every instructional book I've ever read has talked about the importance of practicing everything in every key and whilst it's true that doing so will eventually yield you a fluency and competence that you won't get any other way, the reality is that you will play in some keys more that others.
The time you're most likely to play in unusual keys is when you're working with singers, but even then their arrangements are likely to be written in as 'sensible' a key as possible. For example, if they can comfortably sing a tune in B major then Bb or C Major are also likely to work equally well, being only a semitone away.
The other reason given for practicing in all keys is that jazz tunes modulate a lot through many keys, and you're likely to encounter every key at some stage. This is true, but again, there are certain keys that you just don't spend much time in.
Whilst there are some tunes that will modulate to the less common keys, they tend not to stay in these keys for very long. This means that you have to be able to play something effective in these keys but, to get by, you don't need the same fluency and number of options in these keys as you do in more common keys such as Eb and Bb.
With this in mind, if you're in a hurry, you're probably better off concentrating on the more common keys. For example, if your goal is to learn the 'A Train' ending so it's always an option on the bandstand, just concentrate on the keys that standards tend to be written in for now and then move onto something else. After all, practicing it in all keys when you'll only ever play it in half of them may not be the best use of your time if you want to show an improvement immediately.
My personal experience suggests that the most common keys for standards are:
Major
- Eb
- Bb
- F
- C
- G
Minor
- Cm
- Gm
- Am
If you're learning endings or intros then these are the keys to focus on. Whilst the other keys may crop up in the middle of of a tune for a few bars, there are very few tunes written in those keys so for noticeably quick development then concentrate on the most common keys.
This isn't to say that standards are never written in the less common keys, for example 'Stardust' is in Db, 'Triste' is in A and 'Wave' is in D - but these are definitely exceptions to the rule.
The same goes for improvising. In addition to the common 'home' keys, Ab, Db, Gb, A, E and D do occur regularly in standards but they tend only to modulate to these keys for a short time. Be able to cope in these keys, but focus your efforts on the others for quick improvement.
Remember, your goal is to develop quickly here so by focusing on the keys you'll spend the most time playing in, you'll be developing a fluency that will be more noticeable to the audience and your peers straight away.
Finally, it's important to point out that you will eventually need to practice in all the keys as true instrumental facility is developed that way. However, if you want to work on something you can use on your next gig or session, whether it's a voicing, a lick, an intro/ending phrase or anything else, concentrating on the common keys will let you start using it straight away in real musical situations.
