Keys

[Eddie Edwards <eddie@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Ttoddster:

>I am curious if you think P/P would lower the songs a step or two to allow
>Robert to hit the stratosphere as well as he does? I saw the show in
>Birmingham and didn't think so myself. But my brother maintains that it is
>quite possible and that in a live setting like that it would be really hard to
>detect.

No, they are not doing this.  The vast majority of songs are being
played in their original keys.

Robert has no need of this kind of trickery as most of the high notes
are still within his reach, although of course he sings them in a very
different way nowadays.  In any case, if Robert is having an off day,
then lowering, say, "Rock And Roll" from A to G is really not going to
help much!

Equally, because of the nature of the guitar parts, many Zep songs could
not be "lowered" without completely retuning the guitar.  This might not
be immediately obvious to most listeners, but it would be detrimental to
the sound and to the feel of the guitar.  Not a viable option.

S. Snowdonia:

>I am convinced "Gallows Pole" is being played one whole step lower live 
>this tour. It sounds as if the guitar has been dropped a step and for 
>the reason you stated.

P/P are playing "Gallows Pole" in the key of G.  This is indeed one
whole tone lower than the original Zep version, which was in A.
However, this is not new to this tour as they played it in G on the
"Unledded" reunion and throughout '95/'96.

>I also think "No Quarter" is in a different key this tour, one with more 
>natural notes.

There has been no change to the key of "No Quarter".  It has been played
in D minor through all its various Zep and P/P incarnations.  With one
exception - the original Zep studio version!  This is one semitone
lower, in C sharp minor, although there is a strong suspicion that it
was recorded in D minor and slowed down.

- -- 
Eddie Edwards

The Garden Tapes - a study of The Song Remains The Same
http://www.olkil.demon.co.uk/lzgarden/contents.htm
- --