 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Ken Shaw ★2017
Date: 2006-01-26 21:12
The following advice appeared on "Tricks of the Trade," http://www.tradetricks.org/. Does anyone do this, or know about it?
December 13, 2005
Jazz musicians in (or from) New Orleans will often use hand signals on stage to announce to other band members the key of a song being played. Many times, when the band gets rolling, a someone will just launch into a song, leaving the others to scramble and join in; when the sideman figures out what key it's being played in, he will make hand signs to clue in the slower ones.
For sharp keys (C, G, A D, etc.), the sign is the shape of the letter, but backwards so it can be read. Hand cupped sideways for C, for instance.
Flat keys are harder because they have a letter and a flat -- B-flat, E-flat, etc. Usually they hold up fingers for the number of flats in the key signature: F has one flat, so it gets one finger; B-flat has two and gets two fingers, etc. If the fingers are pointing upward (or sometimes sideways), it's the major key with that number of flats. If the fingers point down, it's the minor key.
An similar account of jazz musician hand-signs in England can be found at http://www.ohek.co.uk/history/handsigns.htm
Ken Shaw
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Author: GBK
Date: 2006-01-26 21:40
Ken Shaw wrote:
> An similar account of jazz musician hand-signs in England can
> be found at http://www.ohek.co.uk/history/handsigns.htm
Thanks Ken. Those are the signals I've learned and the ones that are used with the musicians I play with.
I've forwarded them the link as reference...GBK
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Author: Iacuras
Date: 2006-01-26 23:13
I have to say my two favorites from that site are:
Musician nodding at bartender and holding up two fingers: make that a double!
Audience holding fingers in both ears: less volume, please!
Steve
"If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job. The kind robots will be doing soon."
"If you can't learn to do something well, learn to enjoy doing it poorly."
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Author: Don Berger
Date: 2006-01-27 13:37
YUP, it brings back some "combo" days. We Bb and Eb 's play mainly in flat [piano] keys so adding 2 fingers for his/her's info was very common. Also the "cupped" ear was "play louder". Don
Thanx, Mark, Don
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Author: John Morton
Date: 2006-01-27 19:06
The scheme in the quoted article is something I've never encountered. The "flats up, sharps down" prevails in my west coast experience.
A favorite I've observed in New Orleans: 4 fingers pointing up as the hand rotates back and forth - "4 bar turnaround ending".
John Morton
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Author: BG ★2017
Date: 2006-01-28 09:32
One of my favorites is when you show three fingers up with one hand and three fingers down with the other. As everyone knows, this signals the Charles Ives arrangement of "Misty."
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Author: allencole
Date: 2006-01-29 03:25
What I've heard of in the past is fingers up for sharps and down for flats. Have also used hand signals to designate specific chords within the piece. (most folks I play with can figure out the key for themselves.)
Allen Cole
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Author: ron b
Date: 2006-01-29 06:40
Hmmm, I've heard of (and seen them used - sharps up-flats down), hand signals but, in agreement with Alan, if you can't figure out what key you're in I seriously doubt that any hand signal will be helpful to you.
Whenever I saw that I thought it was for show, to impress the audience, rather than serve any truly useful musical purpose... well, in any case, I must say it did nothing to enhance *my* playing.... 
So, I'm not from New Orleans, and have never played in New Orleans [rest her soul :( ] . Maybe that should make a difference (?) but I can't get my head around how that would or could alter anything. You either know what you're playing or you don't....
- r![[cool]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/cool.gif) n b -
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Author: Hank Lehrer
Date: 2006-01-29 12:01
Hi Allen & Ron B,
I sometimes work with a piano player that is used to working a single and thus plays many things in non-standard keys (at least to begin with). Since I do not have perfect pitch and do not want to fumble around finding the key, I wish he would give me a signal of some sort (the fingers or verbally). I usually watch his fingering for a measure or two.
With a guy like that, you really need to know the key since he has, on occassion, played Sophisticated Lady in E instead of in Ab.
HRL
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Author: ned
Date: 2006-01-29 22:16
''Jazz musicians in (or from) New Orleans will often use hand signals on stage to announce to other band members the key of a song being played.''
In all my years of playing N.O. jazz in Australia, I have never had the benefit of hand signals, foot signals or any other kind of signals from another band member, subsequent to the ''tap off''. Sometimes a knowledgable member of the rhythm section might give shouted advice, but it's usually a case of doing a chromatic run to lock in the key and taking it from there.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
''You either know what you're playing or you don't....''
The band leader may have picked a number which is fairly well known, but I may not have played, in such cases I tend to rely on the ''if you can whistle it you know it'' scenario.
If I don't know the number at all - and it's reasonably uncomplicated - after a chorus or two the pattern and chords become apparent.
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Author: ron b
Date: 2006-01-29 23:00
I can understand your situation, Hank, and I admit I've been there a few times. I'll have to back up here and agree that in that situation you are absolutely right. I guess I'm thinking more of a group that has played together for awhile and are tuned in to one another's moves. I don't have perfect pitch either (don't know anyone who does). With a piano player who likes non-standard keys, you really do need to know where they went... :|
Many times I've had to rework my thinking on certiain things because of visiting and discussing them here. I stand corrected. Thank you
- rn b -
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