# What does your favorite key says about you?



## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

My favorite keys were:

B minor - I am moody, frequently lapsing into bad mood and then into light at the same time..

F minor - I just felt hopeless at the same time. #hopelesspassion

*What does your favorite key says about you?*


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

E flat major - I don't think it says anything about me, but I'm open for suggestions..


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Vesteralen said:


> E flat major - I don't think it says anything about me, but I'm open for suggestions..


E flat major means you're vigorous, powerful, and prone to invade small countries.

Myself, I'm a C-flat minor kind of guy.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

peeyaj said:


> F minor - I just felt hopeless at the same time.


Diagnosis: Too much Schubert. I prescribe Mary Poppins twice a day, with food, until symptoms disappear.

http://www.amazon.com/Mary-Poppins-...8&qid=1377479060&sr=8-2&keywords=mary+poppins


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

My favorite key is F minor. Probably because a lot of blues pieces were in F back in the day, and so I can play a ton of licks without having to think.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

I don't have a favorite key. I find them irrelevent in equal temperament. Having said that, I'm with Manxfeeder. I can improvise a little better on the keyboard in F minor. I seem to love those Ab, Bb and Eb black keys. Not that I am much of a keyboard player.


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## Ondine (Aug 24, 2012)

I have noticed (just noticed) that, mainly, oeuvres in D-dur and d-moll are very enjoyable. As well as C-dur & moll and G dur & moll. 

But I don't know why or what means if that has to mean something.


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## Ondine (Aug 24, 2012)

KenOC said:


> Diagnosis: Too much Schubert. I prescribe Mary Poppins twice a day, with food, until symptoms disappear.


Oh God, this one was very good, Ken! :lol:


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

KenOC said:


> Myself, I'm a C-flat minor kind of guy.


Means you're tough to get along with and everyone just wants to pretend you're something else, on top of being somewhat morose!

This is going to come off as a joke because of what I just wrote above, but I would have chosen *B minor* anyway. It's always seemed like a dramatic key to me, in the sense of theatrical drama.


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## StevenOBrien (Jun 27, 2011)

C-sharp major: Nobody likes me when I show up and people can't wait until I'm gone .


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

Not having anything remotely approaching perfect pitch, I have no favourite key. They all sound the same to me, and I often wonder what on Earth possesses composers to write pieces in difficult keys, when C major/A minor would work just as well.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Mahlerian said:


> ...but I would have chosen *B minor* anyway. It's always seemed like a dramatic key to me, in the sense of theatrical drama.


Between the Bach fugue from the WTC I and the Liszt sonata, it has a sterling pedigree. Both are dramatic!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

KenOC said:


> Between the Bach fugue from the WTC I and the Liszt sonata, it has a sterling pedigree. Both are dramatic!


Schubert's "Unfinished", that wonderful Kyrie from Bach's B Minor Mass, Tchaikovsky's "Pathetique" as well as the tune everyone knows from Swan Lake, Berg's Sonata Op. 1, the mysterious opening of Mahler's Seventh Symphony, the first movement of Shostakovich's Sixth...


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

I like C-flat minor.

Don't tell me that's not a key. I don't want to hear about it.


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

brianvds said:


> Not having anything remotely approaching perfect pitch, I have no favourite key. They all sound the same to me, and I often wonder what on Earth possesses composers to write pieces in difficult keys, when C major/A minor would work just as well.


Well, I can't explain the occurrence of those 'odd' keys in purely orchestral compositions (but it's surely related to the crappy playing range of the instruments), but keys like C-sharp minor are very suitable for keyboard instruments, for example.


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## Guest (Aug 26, 2013)

Sorry to be a pooper, but having just looked up four of my favourite symphonies, they're all in different keys. I guess that makes me a vagabond, wandering from key to key with no place to call Home.


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

I love F major and B major. F major says I'm fun-loving and peace-keeping; B major says I'm a hipster


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## musicchambernet (Jul 9, 2013)

It seems a lot of discussions are going on here and I am glad to find some great meaning of keys. Thanks


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

Hehe, I think our perception of keys depends on the pieces we know in them and not really on their inherent properties. Don't major and minor keys sound the same, regardless of where they start? 

I always thought of B minor as a 'learned' key (the Haydn pieces in this key are usually composed this way), Bach's B minor mass as well. C and C sharp minor are also intriguing. D minor also gets my attention quite often (Kyrie of the Nelson mass, Mozart's Requiem, 'Lamentatione' symphony, Fifths quartet, etc.)

In the major keys, I like D major - so many great Haydn symphonies in this key .


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

From Christian Schubart's Ideen zu einer Aesthetik der Tonkunst (1806) translated by Rita Steblin in A History of Key Characteristics in the 18th and Early 19th Centuries. UMI Research Press (1983). 
C major Completely pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, naïvety, children's talk.
C minor Declaration of love and at the same time the lament of unhappy love. All languishing, longing, sighing of the love-sick soul lies in this key.
Db major A leering key, degenerating into grief and rapture. It cannot laugh, but it can smile; it cannot howl, but it can at least grimace its crying.--Consequently only unusual characters and feelings can be brought out in this key.
D major The key of triumph, of Hallejuahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing. Thus, the inviting symphonies, the marches, holiday songs and heaven-rejoicing choruses are set in this key.
D minor Melancholy womanliness, the spleen and humours brood.
D# minor Feelings of the anxiety of the soul's deepest distress, of brooding despair, of blackest depresssion, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech would approximate this key.
Eb major The key of love, of devotion, of intimate conversation with God.
E major Noisy shouts of joy, laughing pleasure and not yet complete, full delight lies in E Major.
F major Complaisance & calm.
F minor Deep depression, funereal lament, groans of misery and longing for the grave.
F# major Triumph over difficulty, free sigh of relief utered when hurdles are surmounted; echo of a soul which has fiercely struggled and finally conquered lies in all uses of this key.
F# minor A gloomy key: it tugs at passion as a dog biting a dress. Resentment and discontent are its language.
G major Everything rustic, idyllic and lyrical, every calm and satisfied passion, every tender gratitude for true friendship and faithful love,--in a word every gentle and peaceful emotion of the heart is correctly expressed by this key.
G minor Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of teeth; in a word: resentment and dislike.
Ab major Key of the grave. Death, grave, putrefaction, judgment, eternity lie in its radius.
Ab minor Grumbler, heart squeezed until it suffocates; wailing lament, difficult struggle; in a word, the color of this key is everything struggling with difficulty.
A major This key includes declarations of innocent love, satisfaction with one's state of affairs; hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God.
A minor Pious womanliness and tenderness of character.
Bb major Cheerful love, clear conscience, hope aspiration for a better world.
Bb minor A quaint creature, often dressed in the garment of night. It is somewhat surly and very seldom takes on a pleasant countenance. Mocking God and the world; discontented with itself and with everything; preparation for suicide sounds in this key.
B major Strongly coloured, announcing wild passions, composed from the most glaring coulors. Anger, rage, jealousy, fury, despair and every burden of the heart lies in its sphere.
B minor This is as it were the key of patience, of calm awaiting ones's fate and of submission to divine dispensation.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

An excellent description of the key signatures! Beethoven had his own opinions: "Beethoven, having received an air in the key of A flat marked _amoroso_, remarked that the key of A flat should be marked _barbaresco _and he accordingly changed the key signature. Despite this, some of Beethoven's most famous music is in the key of A flat, such as the slow movements of both the Fifth Symphony and the Pathétique Sonata."


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## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

R-flat minor.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

D major, A major, C major, E minor.

It says that I love folk fiddle.


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## Skilmarilion (Apr 6, 2013)

D minor seems to pop up a fair amount among some of my favourite works.

That said, I'm partial to any and all minor keys!


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## brianvds (May 1, 2013)

aleazk said:


> Well, I can't explain the occurrence of those 'odd' keys in purely orchestral compositions (but it's surely related to the crappy playing range of the instruments), but keys like C-sharp minor are very suitable for keyboard instruments, for example.


Really? Why would that be? Seems to me it just makes the music more difficult to read! 



KenOC said:


> An excellent description of the key signatures! Beethoven had his own opinions: "Beethoven, having received an air in the key of A flat marked _amoroso_, remarked that the key of A flat should be marked _barbaresco _and he accordingly changed the key signature. Despite this, some of Beethoven's most famous music is in the key of A flat, such as the slow movements of both the Fifth Symphony and the Pathétique Sonata."


Well, that depends on whether they are played using the definitions of the notes current in his own time or not...


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

I'm not sure about what is my favourite key, but my favourite phrase that includes the name of a key is this: "A STEEL BATH IN C MAJOR".

The _idea_ of what C major is supposed to be appeals to me very much.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Tristan said:


> I love F major and B major. F major says I'm fun-loving and peace-keeping; B major says I'm a hipster


And the tritone between the two indicates a certain Jekyll/Hyde complex in you...


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

In the Equal temperament tuning, I don't think it's possible to find intrinsic emotional characteristics in the different keys.
But, I will admit, it's true that sometimes we feel that this is not the case. We feel that "C major is Completely pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, naïvety, children's talk.", or "D# minor: Feelings of the anxiety of the soul's deepest distress, of brooding despair, of blackest depresssion, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech would approximate this key."
I have an explanation for that, and, again, it's related to the keyboard's shape. For example, Mozart used notably the C major key, particularly for pieces intended to be easy when played, maybe even for kids. So, the tone Mozart wanted for the pieces and the physical characteristics of the keyboard, forced him to choose the C major key.
On the other hand, the disposition of the black keys in the C sharp minor key makes more easy the playing of fast scales, chromatic alterations, and other pyrotechnic effects. So, it's not a surprise that composers like Chopin chose that key for their stormy pieces, like the Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66, for example.
So, it's not some intrinsic property of the keys, but the fact that some famous music with famous emotions was systematically writen in those keys because the physical properties of the keyboard made those keys suitable for the easy playing of the technical resources needed to display these emotions.


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## peeyaj (Nov 17, 2010)

*Fact:*

B minor people -> morose people


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Off-key, which is the way I sing....


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## Ondine (Aug 24, 2012)

I am liking this thread


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## schuberkovich (Apr 7, 2013)

I like A minor. It strikes me as lyrical and sad, but not overly tragic or self-pitying. I also associate with a triumphant journey into A major, due to my obsessive listening of Beethoven's op.132 last movement. 

I also like G major and F major because to me they are the calmer, more peaceful and pastoral younger siblings of the great C major. 

I also like the idea of B major. It doesn't immediately sound like a difficult, accidental-ly key like D flat major (same number of accidentals), but scratch the surface and you find 5 sharps, including the terrifying A sharp.


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## kv466 (May 18, 2011)

I'm an e-flat and f#minor kinda guy...you tell me.


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## Arsakes (Feb 20, 2012)

A minor - Romantic period: Emotional in epic and tragic level
E flat major - Classic period: Major beauty


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## Tristan (Jan 5, 2013)

kv466 said:


> I'm an e-flat and f#minor kinda guy...you tell me.


I love F# minor; a lot of good dubstep songs in that key


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

My favourite key is the one that opens Donald Trump's safe deposit box. Unfortunately I don't have it.


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

D minor is definitely one of my favorites. It's dark and brooding. I can't imagine the Sibelius Violin Concerto in any other key. Can you?

Or the Lacrimosa from Mozart's Requiem, for that matter.


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## HaydnBearstheClock (Jul 6, 2013)

kv466 said:


> I'm an e-flat and f#minor kinda guy...you tell me.


too much Eroica and Farewell symphonies for you .


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## Forte (Jul 26, 2013)

I like to play 'n B# sometimes.

That was a pun.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Forte said:


> I like to play 'n B# sometimes.
> 
> That was a pun.


If you have to explain it, it'll fall D-double flat!


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## Forte (Jul 26, 2013)

Mahlerian said:


> If you have to explain it, it'll fall D-double flat!


Then I'll have to make A triple sharp joke.


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

You don't have to B sharp, Forte. Just B natural.


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## Forte (Jul 26, 2013)

I'm two steps ahead of you. I'm already A natural.


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## Petwhac (Jun 9, 2010)

Actually you're one step behind.


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## maestro267 (Jul 25, 2009)

My favourite key is B minor, although I've never thought particularly of what that says about me. I just like a lot of music in that key. The Russians specialize in it though. Think of Tchaikovsky 6 & Manfred, Borodin 2, Gliere 3, Shostakovich 6.


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## Weston (Jul 11, 2008)

aleazk said:


> In the Equal temperament tuning, I don't think it's possible to find intrinsic emotional characteristics in the different keys.
> But, I will admit, it's true that sometimes we feel that this is not the case. We feel that "C major is Completely pure. Its character is: innocence, simplicity, naïvety, children's talk.", or "D# minor: Feelings of the anxiety of the soul's deepest distress, of brooding despair, of blackest depresssion, of the most gloomy condition of the soul. Every fear, every hesitation of the shuddering heart, breathes out of horrible D# minor. If ghosts could speak, their speech would approximate this key."
> I have an explanation for that, and, again, it's related to the keyboard's shape. For example, Mozart used notably the C major key, particularly for pieces intended to be easy when played, maybe even for kids. So, the tone Mozart wanted for the pieces and the physical characteristics of the keyboard, forced him to choose the C major key.
> On the other hand, the disposition of the black keys in the C sharp minor key makes more easy the playing of fast scales, chromatic alterations, and other pyrotechnic effects. So, it's not a surprise that composers like Chopin chose that key for their stormy pieces, like the Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66, for example.
> So, it's not some intrinsic property of the keys, but the fact that some famous music with famous emotions was systematically writen in those keys because the physical properties of the keyboard made those keys suitable for the easy playing of the technical resources needed to display these emotions.


Along with that could be the tradition of having certain instruments at home in certain keys' so D major and Bb major might evoke a martial or hunting feeling because of the horn? I'm just guessing.


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## IBMchicago (May 16, 2012)

F minor, but only based on my favorite Prelude/Fugue from the Well-Tempered Clavier as performed by Glenn Gould. I really have no other basis for my opinion...or no opinion at all, for that matter.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

I have three favorite keys.

house key
car key
girlfriend's house key

In music? No favorites.


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## appoggiatura (Feb 6, 2012)

D flat minor. It has something special, something magical. A depth. A world behind it. 
I cannot explain. I don't have the same feeling with other keys. I know it's impossible, but that's just the way it is in my head. When I'm writing songs with my guitar or composing other pieces on the piano, I tend to choose D flat minor. Even when searching chords with eyes closed, or singing a harmony, I find my note, then check with my guitar, and TADAAAAA it's always D minor.

We're just made for each other :angel:

Although I like other keys too for sure. D minor is just a little bit more special than the others.

What does this say about me? 

(I blame Rachmaninoff 1st symphony and Rach 3. When I was a baby, my dad put on Rachmaninoff symphonies for me 24/7. And he was playing Rach 3 at the time )


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Burroughs said:


> *D major* The key of triumph, of Hallejuahs, of war-cries, of victory-rejoicing. Thus, the inviting symphonies, the marches, holiday songs and heaven-rejoicing choruses are set in this key.


aha, I had a feeling it would say I'm awesome. I especially like the bit about war-cries. Let me get my battle axe and beat my chest


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## ethanjamesescano (Aug 29, 2012)

Doesn't all major and all minor keys work the same way? I mean if you play a phrase on C major and transpose it to C#, wouldn't it be the same? Correct me if I'm wrong.
Btw, I usually play A minor, because it is the most comfortae sclae to play in the guitar (for me)


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## Combinebobnt (Jul 21, 2015)

C major and C minor with tunings that center around C of course.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

Eb Major. It lies beautifully under the fingers at the piano and sounds warm and noble.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

Woodduck said:


> Eb Major. It lies beautifully under the fingers at the piano and sounds warm and noble.


It's the old Beethoven thing. "I'm E-flat. I'm broad, I'm noble. I'm andante because I don't need to be in a hurry since I'm E-flat!"

Yawn. I'll take F-flat.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

KenOC said:


> It's the old Beethoven thing. "I'm E-flat. I'm broad, I'm noble. I'm andante because I don't need to be in a hurry since I'm E-flat!"
> 
> Yawn. I'll take F-flat.


You'll know a key better when you've played and composed in it. The same music transposed into different keys sounds darker or brighter, sharper or mellower (to put it simplistically), and the way a key's notes lie under the fingers and even appear to the eye (occult as that may sound) affect your sense of its character. If you're writing for orchestra, certain keys are natural for certain instruments and thus for works of a certain sort. There's more to Eb than "broad and noble." Old Beethoven's key choices were not arbitrary.


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## BlackKeys (May 12, 2015)

F major, Eb major, and C# minor


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## BubbleBobble (Jul 31, 2011)

I slip into G Major quite frequently

either that or A Major :3


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## Abraham Lincoln (Oct 3, 2015)

E minor. Any minor key is fine, actually! ;P


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## Guest (Oct 10, 2015)

MacLeod said:


> Sorry to be a pooper, but having just looked up four of my favourite symphonies, they're all in different keys. I guess that makes me a vagabond, wandering from key to key with no place to call Home.


Having discovered that both Sibelius' 4th and Mahler's 6th are in A Minor, I think I've now found my Home key. However, I'm a little uncertain about the description of it as "Pious womanliness and tenderness of character"

http://www.talkclassical.com/27559-what-does-your-favorite-post516613.html#post516613


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## MoonlightSonata (Mar 29, 2014)

C minor, F minor, Ab major, G# minor, A minor, E major.
So according to this post I am lovesick, depressed, dead, struggling, womanly and joyful all at the same time. I suppose 2/6 isn't bad.


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## Dim7 (Apr 24, 2009)

MoonlightSonata said:


> lovesick, depressed, dead, struggling, womanly and joyful all at the same time


Sounds like a typical classical composer.


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## shangoyal (Sep 22, 2013)

I like B flat major. My favourite works in this key being:

Bach - 6th Brandenburg concerto
Beethoven - String quartet op 130
Schubert - Sonata No. 21, D960

Those are three of my most favourite works ever. And then there's the Hammerklavier sonata which is also in B flat but I'm not a big fan of it.


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