[Harp-L] What Key?

[Aongus Mac Cana]

Thanks Guys!

Once again this forum has provided some enlightenment to a musical
ignoramus.

About sixty years ago I invested in a Chromatic Harmonica - because the book
said that was the only proper one to buy, and I was  still innocent enough
to believe everything I read in books.

In theory this enabled me to play in any key, but quite unconsciously I
developed the bad habit of transcribing in my head everything to the key of
the instrument: C. I could have saved myself a few pennies by just buying a
Diatonic.

A few years ago I heard about this magical talent that you had to be born
with called "Perfect Pitch", where you could hum or whistle any note
straight out of your head without having to hear it first. Two guys in the
Irish music scene were known to be gifted with this ability and were
respected for it. One of them was a skilled exponent of the five row button
accordion (a.k.a. "The Typewriter") called Fintan Stanley. The other was a
popular singer called Sonny Knowles who rejoiced in the nick name of "The
Window Cleaner" because of the way he moved his hands when he sang.

These two gentlemen were held in awe by the musical community because of
their ability to instantly tell when they entered a hall what key the band
were playing in.

A man called David Lucas Burge claims that you do not have to be born with
Perfect Pitch, but that you can actually be taught to develop both Relative
Pitch and Perfect Pitch. He markets two CD courses to prove it.  I have
dipped in to his material and think that there may be something in it all
right, but I don't know if I am going to live long enough to prove it one
way or the other.

Beannachtai

Aongus Mac Cana