Originally Posted by
Have you ever encountered a situation where a popular fiddle tune was not being played in it's usual key.
Sure. Every time the guitar player or banjo player forgets their capoes, the A tunes are now in G, and the D tunes are played in C!
For that reason, I advocate learning the tunes in at least a couple of keys (A&G, D&C, Em&Dm etc.) You'll be prepared for their inevitable "lack of preparedness", and besides, it'll make you a better player to have the sounds in your head not cemented to only one particular key and set of fingerings.
Also, some of the older D tunes were originally played in F, and there are fiddlers out there that adhere to that. "Fisher's Hornpipe" is a good example. Actually, the color of the tune is
warmer in F than it is in D, due to the subtle coloration of ringing open strings (including sympathertic vibration) against chords. In hte key of D, the open D and A strings are roots & 5ths, but in F, they are 3rds and 6ths. (G tunes can sound nice in Bb for those same reasons.)
NH
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