Well how one approaches practicing is a personal choice.
You and I have some fundamental disagreements in that area but
everyone has to find for themselves what approaches
work for them.
For me, those techniques you outline are too complicated.
When I talk about the "12 key thing" I'm talking about people
being concerned whether or not they can play "Have You Met Miss
Jones" in E or not.
Obvioulsy tunes temporarily modulate to lots of different keys.
However, I consider it to be a somewhat different issue to
have to negotiate some temporary key change for a few bars
as opposed to a tune which is really in that key.
For example, "I Love You" by Cole Porter in F will modulate
to A for a few bars. For me at least, that is not as difficult
as it would be if I played the tune in A and then had to
worry about it modulating to Db for a few bars. I would be
bothered trying to negotiate that tune in A at a comparable
quality level to the rest of my playing unless I worked
on it. And I wouldnt bother doing that because there are so
many other things I can do with that time. This is my point.
I think we can make lists as you have from standard tunes of
tunes that modulate to another key for some part of the tune.
I'll add a few to the list:
"I Love You" in F (F A)
"Have You Met Miss Jones" in F (F, Bb, Gb, D)
"Star Eyes" in Eb (Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, F )
The point is though that just in the course of one picking their
favourite tunes and working on them, they will get enough
practice in playing in those keys to at least handle the temporary
modulations.
For me, anything beyond that is unecessary.
I think though that people should go up to their favourite players
after a concert or say during a masterclass and ask them how much
time they have spent practicing things in 12 keys.
I did that and found that without exception, nobody that I talked
to practices things in 12 keys. I'm not saying that people don't
but that is from my sampling of opinion.
Most people will tell you that playing for singers helped them be
more comfortable in other keys.
I think too, one should take any practice technique and ask your
favourite players if they do that.
I've done that quite a bit.
I'm not saying that one can't improve on what other players do but
I think it's helpful to get some kind of reality check before
investing alot of time doing something.
>>
>
>No. What is important is the musical ideas being communicated. Familiarity
>with all 24 keys with help you cut to the important stuff and not sweat the
>"odd" key here and there. Again, here is a list of commonly called tunes.
>These are not obscure tunes listed here for the sake of argument, but tunes
>which have been called in a typical set in countless jazz clubs and jam
>sessions. These tunes are not called by insecure jazz musicians wishing to
>prove their machismo by playing in "strange" keys, but by musicians wishing
>to express themselves on common jazz vehicles. The tunes are listed with
>the basic major keys in parentheses. (There are other keys that are
>suggested by other secondary dominants, but I am just showing the main key
>areas.)
>
>Cherokee (Bb, Eb, B, A, G, & F)
>Body and Soul (Db, D, C)
>All the things You Are (Ab, C, Eb, G, E)
>I'll Remember April (G, Bb, E)
>Joy Spring (F, Gb, G, Eb)
>
>All 12 major key areas occur. Which key should we not be prepared to play in?
>
>
>
>_______________________________________
reed
>
>
Reed Kotler
reed@justjazz.com
http://www.justjazz.com