M&D 172

[davemarc]

>
c
&
#
&
b
6
)
Musical Keys
$
;
g
d
u
b
s
>
Composer Paul Siskind contributes

"F# minor, huh?  Well, I guess that lazy musicians wouldn't like it because
of 
all those damn E#'s...[davemarc:  E#s can be a pain to read and think since
they're "really" (kinda sorta) Fs.  It's an awkward notational thing.]  
Actually, I dn't know if any specific character is associated with it as
happens with other keys.  Yes, many people do hear Bb as "martial" or
"majestic"; the same for Eb and even Ab.  Others hear C major as "plain," C
minor as "funereal", Db major as "rich and dark", D major as 
"bright", etc.  There's also the phenomenon of "synaesthesia", where people

associate tones/keys with colors (i.e. Michael Torke's "color music" such
as 
"Ecstatic Orange").  I once saw a list of these associations in a Downbeat 
magazine back in the 80's, if you want to research it more."

and adds

"Oh, one more thing:  Many marches are written in Bb because band
instruments 
play in Bb more easily than in other keys."

davemarc