Re: [Harp-L] Re: Toots preference for Eb & Bb

[Winslow Yerxa <winslowyerxa@xxxxxxxxx>]

I've asked old-timers who were there why A was the "radio key" and they've all wondered the same thing even though they participated in it. (Though I remember once playing unamplified at an outdoor wedding, first on an A chromatic and then on a C, and feeling that the A carried better.)

Toots was probably referring to A minor. He's recorded a number of times in A minor (Shadow of Your Smile and the Jean de Florette theme come to mind) but never, that I can remember, in A major.

 
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________________________________
 From: Joseph Leone <3n037@xxxxxxxxxxx>


At one time A was considered the 'radio key'. I take that to mean that it was the most pleasant key coming across a radio?
On this keys other than C thing. After Leo Diamond died (too young), my next super hero on chromo was one Richard Hayman. 
So I would study what he was doing and no matter how I tried, I couldn't get all the chips, chirps, squiggles that he used. 

Lo and behold, when I found out he payed an.... A chromatic ... it all fell into place. 

On Mar 14, 2012, at 4:38 PM, Michael Easton wrote:

> Toots told Mariam McPartland on her radio show, "Piano Jazz"  that his favorite key on chromatic was A.  He said it's very soulful.
>