Tuba Determining Key in Country Music

[bigtubby]

Revisiting some old favorite tuba/guitar things - what else to do on Tuba Day? Noticed that the original Jimmie Rodgers recording of Desert Blues was in Eb which is sort of an unusual key for country guitar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cATAzBH8q8c

The first version of this song I heard was Leon Redbone's 1976 cover which was recorded in Bb (he tuned his guitar down a whole step and played C chord forms):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y4DdfXa6U0

Makes sense given the popular keys for tubas in 1929 vs. 1976 I guess.

P.S. I play it in C but not because CC tubas are popular, I play BBb tubas normally but my pal likes to sing it in C ...

[Donn]

The instrumentation also includes a Bb clarinet and Bb trumpet - neither of which sound real comfortable with the key. Think it's possible that the pitch just came up a half step somewhere along the line?

[Walter Webb]

I don't think the weakness of the 1929 recording has anything to do with the key! The clarinet player sounds like a middle school kid bleating away, and the trumpet player is only marginally better. Some of the problem may be due to wavering vagaries of 78 rpm recording and playback equipment. By 1929, Jimmie Rodgers was a big star, so I'm surprised it sounds this bad, even by early Country Music standards. Here is most likely the same musicians doing a much better job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXBWoaRWHrM" target="_blank

[bigtubby]

The instrumentation also includes a Bb clarinet and Bb trumpet - neither of which sound real comfortable with the key. Think it's possible that the pitch just came up a half step somewhere along the line?

That is possible, just sounded like "open" Eb tuba notes to me. And I have to say that listening again I'm not sure Rodgers was even playing guitar on that: I think that I hear a piano but can't pick out a guitar.

I know that Redbone tunes down because I've seen him play that way often.

[bigtubby]

I don't think the weakness of the 1929 recording has anything to do with the key! The clarinet player sounds like a middle school kid bleating away, and the trumpet player is only marginally better. Some of the problem may be due to wavering vagaries of 78 rpm recording and playback equipment. By 1929, Jimmie Rodgers was a big star, so I'm surprised it sounds this bad, even by early Country Music standards. Here is most likely the same musicians doing a much better job: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXBWoaRWHrM" target="_blank" target="_blank

Yes I was surprised by that as well especially given that those were presumably studio musicians. Had they been neighbors in his band or something I could understand.

Thanks for the link and yes they do sound much better prepared on that cut. You don't suppose they were put off-kilter by the overall weirdness of the lyrics of Desert Blues?

[jeopardymaster]

Not quite on point, or pitch. At a graduation I played a while back they had some canned music going through the PA before we started. They played a country tune at one point - name and artist(s) I do not recall - but it sounded "off" somehow. Not meaning to be a snob, I tried to quietly play along - and that's when I figured out what the problem was. It was tuned to about 2/3 of the way to Ab. May have been recorded in G, or tuned way sharp, I dunno. I don't have perfect pitch, but still - that kind of messes with my insides.