Least-used "easy" key

Tannin

Most people would agree that on the guitar there are easy keys and harder keys. Easy keys have plenty of chord tones available "free" on the open strings. Examples are A, C, D, E, and G. Most acoustic players - and all beginners - spend most of their time playing in the "easy" keys. 

The "harder" keys offer few open chord tones and players - especially acoustic players - tend to avoid keys like Bb, B, C#, Eb, F, and G#. (As an aside, some of the "harder" keys are actually not difficult - I'm thinking of ones like F#, C# minor, and B major, while others (G#, Eb really are a bit of a pain.). But let's leave that discussion for another day.)

For now, define "easy keys" as whichever ones you think are the easier ones to play in - presumably A, C, D, E, G and one or two others of your choice.

Of these "easy" keys, which one do you enjoy and use the least? 

Tannin

For me, it's C major. Yes it's easy, but I get really bored in C. 

Curiously enough, I can play any amount of stuff in A minor, which is the exact same notes - or would be if it wasn't for all the fun of morphing into A major and/or A harmonic minor and back. But C major? I last about two minutes and end up in something more  interesting.)

ICBM

Perhaps surprisingly, I think I play least in E major. Although I do use E minor a lot.

DartmoorHedgehog

I've been thinking about this and I reckon I use all those "easy keys" pretty much equally.  If I had to pick a winner for least used it would probably be D (playing in D or G is time to get the mandolin out )

On a slightly-related subject, as a woodwind player I have a different idea of which are the "easy keys" if I know the song is going to require wind playing...  Bb is then suddenly a lovely key and I have to exert a bit of persuasion on the rest of the band...

Danny1969

Bm or C#m tends to be my go to keys .. With acoustic guitars the less notes fretted the more interesting the voicing IMHO 

Bb and Fm are my least fave I think 

guyinlyon

Tannin said:

Most people would agree that on the guitar there are easy keys and harder keys.

They're all difficult to me.

jaymenon

B major - is a lovely key to play and sing in

I pretty much never use C major

fastonebaz

C#m  or actually E major.   Splendid key.  To middle in. 

BillDL

I can play equally well in any key 

Tannin

fastonebaz said:

C#m  or actually E major.   Splendid key.  To middle in. 

Well, if we are talking most-used keys now (maybe I should change the thread title), yes, absolutely! I love C# minor. My favourite keys would be:

1: A (all flavours, minor, mixolydian, major, anything else that falls under the fingers)
2: C# minor 
3: G major
4: D (any flavour)
5: Hard to pick one between E (major or minor), F# dominant phrygian, or B mixo. 

I Seldom play in C or Bb and can't think of anything I play in F.

Tannin

Danny1969 said:

Bm or C#m tends to be my go to keys 

B minor. Now there is a point. Why don't I play anything in Bm? Same chords as D major so it ought to be easy. Time for some experimental noodling I reckon!

Danny1969

Tannin said:

Danny1969 said:

Bm or C#m tends to be my go to keys 

B minor. Now there is a point. Why don't I play anything in Bm? Same chords as D major so it ought to be easy. Time for some experimental noodling I reckon!

For me  it's the open strings after the main key chord that made a key most useful. A song in Bm is likely to contain G, D and Em for example and you can make any of those chords just by modifying one note of one of the open strings 

DartmoorHedgehog

BillDL said:

I can play equally well in any key 

Joking aside, I find it really hard to play with a capo.  I'm OK if I absolutely don't look at my hand but as soon as I glance down at the neck everything just goes to shit - I think my brain latches onto the fret marker dots and tells my hand it's in the wrong place for the key I "think" I'm playing in  

Tannin

Danny1969 said:

Tannin said:

Danny1969 said:

Bm or C#m tends to be my go to keys 

B minor. Now there is a point. Why don't I play anything in Bm? Same chords as D major so it ought to be easy. Time for some experimental noodling I reckon!

For me  it's the open strings after the main key chord that made a key most useful. A song in Bm is likely to contain G, D and Em for example and you can make any of those chords just by modifying one note of one of the open strings 

Exactly! 

I have a love of passion for mania for drone notes. I never get tired of taking a note and running it right through a bar, two bars, even four bars, meanwhile ringing the changes by making different chords around it. One moment it's the root, then the major 3rd, then the 4th or the 7th ... all these different sounds stitched together by a single common note. And, of course, when you finally do play another note, that's magic too. 

Sometimes I do it with fretted notes (which can mean a fair bit of work and some big stretches). But if there just happens to be an open string to use, then it's easy and I have more ability to do interesting things with the other strings. 

Isn't this restrictive? Not really. The open strings provide 5 different notes, and by choosing a suitable key, any one of them can become root, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 4th, and so on through to the outside notes. Multiply that out and there are literally hundreds of possibilities. 

One day I'll get bored doing that because I've done everything I want to do with those 5 notes. When that day comes, I'll take up Drop D or DADGAD  or New Standard or DGCGCD or something. But I'm in my sixties and that day isn't even close to coming.

guitarjack66

Is this the right time to say 'What's a Key?' 

Tannin

guitarjack66 said:

Is this the right time to say 'What's a Key?' 

Thing on a piano. Nothing we need to worry about.

viz

F# is good, as is F# minor. 

Keefy

I find C to sound very 'vanilla', at least using cowboy chords. I've played a fair bit of country over the years, and I'm proud to say that when I had my own band we played songs in all 12 keys. (OK I did use a capo a lot of the time, but that was because I was the only guitarist and I needed to keep notes ringing to fill out the sound.) I'm aware of one country covers band that plays exclusively in C, G, D, A ,and E. For country lead playing I find G and A provide the most opportunities for show-off twang some fun.

As to which is least used, I couldn't say - personally I use them all, either going with the original key or changing it to suit the vocalist.

While I'm here, pedantry forces me to point out that there is no key of G# major, although there is a key of G# minor, and of course a G# chord. This is down to the way in which western music is written. If you think you're playing in G# (major), you're actually in Ab

viz

Quick rule of thumb. All major keys are flats, all minor keys are sharps. 

DartmoorHedgehog

viz said:

F# is good, as is F# minor. 

viz said:

Quick rule of thumb. All major keys are flats, all minor keys are sharps. 

But Gb sounds really odd doesn't it?  F# just sounds right (to me)

Tannin

G# major is a lot easier than Ab major.

With Ab you have to remember 4 things (1: Ab, 2: Bb, 3: Db, 4: Eb). With G# you only have to remember 2 things (1: every note is sharp, 2: F##). For the same reason, C# major(sharpen everything!)  is easier than Db major (5 to remember).