Correct Terminology

Pat Burns · Post by **Pat Burns** » 7 Feb 2004 5:51 am

...I want to know what a horn player does to communicate a key with more than 5 sharps...

...does he hold the horn between his knees and use both hands?...

..or just scowl and call for the key of G...[This message was edited by Pat Burns on 07 February 2004 at 05:54 AM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 7 Feb 2004 10:55 am

We never paid much attention to how many "fingers" because we thought that the horn players were just being "uppity" and condescending toward us "hilbilly" musicians! We always thought that we were really being "with it" if we knew what key they meant when they they held up two fingers....but we really preferred "one" finger!

www.genejones.com

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 7 Feb 2004 11:33 am

Gee, when I was getting started in the honky tonks in Los Angeles, fingers up or down were the most common ways of signalling key signatures quickly onstage.

When I moved to the Texas honky tonks, finger signals were unheard of. It was "Fraulein, key of 'dog'" meaning "D" of course.

Common keys for Texas hillbillies:
A - Albert
Bb - Boy flat
B - Boy
C - Charlie
D - Dog
E - Elephant
F - Love
G - George

Ah, English remains a living, breathing language.

------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Pat Burns · Post by **Pat Burns** » 7 Feb 2004 11:52 am

..Gene, that one finger signal is what I meant when I said the horn player just scowls and calls for key of G...

...There's something a little strange about the key of F in Texas...when ya'll look in the rear-view mirror and see a po-lice car pulling you over, do you say "well, Love me!"...

(no, Joisey Boy...when we see a Yank, we say "Love you")[This message was edited by Pat Burns on 07 February 2004 at 11:56 AM.]

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 7 Feb 2004 12:27 pm

.....and of course, any seasoned musician always knew that when a vocalist said he was going to sing a song in Eb, that he really didn't know any better, so we said OK and then went ahead and played it in D where it belonged and he never knew the difference!

www.genejones.com

Dr. Hugh Jeffreys · Post by **Dr. Hugh Jeffreys** » 7 Feb 2004 4:39 pm

Also: progressing upward on the scale, notes are #; going down b. In some complex structures bb and x = double sharp are necessary. HJ

Richard Sinkler · Post by **Richard Sinkler** » 8 Feb 2004 4:19 pm

Dr. Jefferies. I am confused. Seeing as how there can only be one of each letter in a scale, I don't see how the notes would be different depending on whether you go up or down the scale (at least in a major scale). Take the examples of E and F scales. With the half steps being between 3 & 4 and 7 & 8, the notes should be the same.

E: E F# G#_A B C# D#_E (ascending)
E: E_D# C# B A_G# F# E (descending)

F: F G A_Bb C D E_F (ascending)
F: F_E D C Bb_A G F (descending)

Seems to me that using the one letter per scale rule, the notes would be called the same thing no matter which direction you go.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 8 Feb 2004 5:14 pm

In California here is how we call the keys on the band stand:

A = "A dog"
B = "Italian C"
C = "C dog"
D = "Dog"
E = "E dog"
F = "F dog"
G = "George W dog"

Jeff Evans · Post by **Jeff Evans** » 8 Feb 2004 8:22 pm

Jim Snider says,

"C like sausage."
"E as in enema."

"D like duhmater" also works.
(You say duh-may-ter; I'll say to-mah-to.)[This message was edited by Jeff Evans on 08 February 2004 at 08:22 PM.]

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 9 Feb 2004 5:41 pm

You guys talk amongst yourselves. I'm going to read my copy of Playboy.