Do you always play in key of C? be honest, no shame in it although purists think different lol......
preferably I pretty much as a singer play in C and use transpose feature to make it easier to sing with and concentrate on my vocals,....
But years ago when transpose wasn't available technology with bands etc we had to play in many keys and even today I'll jump around and play in a few different keys whatever is comfy at the moment etc....how about you?

I think many learn that way first. For me, its whatever key fit my vocal range often, depending on song. Higher end in F/G, lower was in C. Then I had major throat surgery almost 6 years ago and a wider airspace lowered my range to Bb. When I had a female lead singer in the band, I would play to her range, sometimes transposing when she sang the same songs I did when solo, sometimes playing in her keys. Instrumentals I often play in original keys; many old traditional songs don't have a set key.

I only use the transpose on a few SMF. I can play in any key although not by sight. I do think memorization would be easier if you played everything in C. The patterns and cadences would be more easily recognizable.

When I first started studying music - on accordion - there was no transpose key, so I had to play in all different keys ...
I knew an accordionist who played in the 'block chord style' of Art Van Damme, and could play any standard in ANY key ...

For the most part - maybe 90 - 95 % of what I play is in the key I sing in or in the key the song was written (or published) in ... There are a few songs that I think sound better in certain keys, i.e. "Misty" in Eb which is out of my vocal range, so I play it as an instrumental ... if there is a request for me to do it as a vocal, I will use the transpose key ...
There are a few songs that I have set the style for with transposition to another key ... This can cause some confusion if playing with another musician and I call out the key that's on the music and I forget that I've transposed it to my vocal key ...
TO ME playing in one key all the time would get boring, but that's ME ... do whatever suits YOU best ...

I really have no "problem" with those that use the transpose button, but I personally try to avoid it for a few reasons. First, I'm a music theory nerd and enjoy trying to play everything in in all 12 keys. I do this for fun everyday.

Some notes and chord inversions don't sound right when transposed out of their range.

When playing two keyboards, which I do often, it can a PITA to have them both set up to transpose. Also, I hate it when I forget to turn off the transpose button, and start the next song in the wrong key, and all the confusion that can cause on a live gig.

Sometimes I play with musicians that like to look at my hands to figure out the chord changes.

And what happens to you folks that play everything on your KB in C, and an opportunity comes up to play and sing on an acoustic piano or keyboard that has no transpose bottom? I hate making excuses.... So that's why I prefer to learn to play in the correct key without the aid of a transpose button. With that being said, I think the transpose function is a great feature and I'm glad it's an option.

The key of "C" is the equivalent of the guitar players key of E.

Not a thing wrong with using it. I only used it once in my life (the transition button, not the key of C).

Lou Rawls was at the Campbell House for a couple of weeks each summer. His daughters came to Lexington to train on show horses.

Occasionally, when I was playing one of my tunes, he would motion for the mike and sing the song, blowing my old tone def ass of the bench (he sat directly to my right on a table for two).

A drunk kept asking for "You are going to miss my lovin". I new the song in a comfortable key, but not in the one he was used to. The transpose button saved the day.

Sometimes, when I "sweeten" a track with a horn, I might use the transpose function to make the key easier for, say a tenor player. Again, thanks for that magic little button.

As a rule, though, I don't use it for live play.

Russ

(HURRAY, MY BOY IS HOME)!

No, that would be way to difficult. I play as it is written.

I usually play the chord that is comfortable for my vocals, which often varies quite a bit from the chord the song was written in. The vast majority of the songs I sing, however, are usually performed in the chord of "A" or "C".

Gary

Almost never ... only when the song is actually IN C, or there is a fingering anomaly that is better facilitated by the hand positions in another key. Why "C" anyway? It's really not the easiest key to play in? It's easy for newbies because they don't need to deal with accidentals, but once you know music ... C is just another key.
Playing in the same key can make your chord voicings sound stale of you're not careful. What happened to all those years on accordion? Isn't that supposed to be the "theorist's" instrument? (he said with love)

Ask Fran ...

Whatever key it's written in. I think sharps/flats sound better? I do about 6 songs in C, because it's not a good singing range for me.

I adjust the key of any song to suit my vocal range and then play in that key, whatever it is.

I can usually play any song I know in whatever key is required should someone else be singing.

Whilst I've never really analysed this scientifically, I don't remember songs as discrete chord sequences in a specific key, I seem to remember them as relative intervals from a start point.

I have no idea if this is strange although a guitarist friend considers this as some form of magic!

I don't sing, so that's not a consideration for me personally.

When I'm learning a new song, I'm usually very excited to start playing it, and I'm too lazy to transpose the dots. So I end up learning it in whatever key it's written. That might change if I can successfully make the transition to an electronic score display program. But I have so much paper music!

I agree with Bill Lewis- I'm sure I could recognize and memorize patterns better if I transposed everything to C. In the long run that would probably allow me to play more songs from memory, leading to fewer mistakes.

Again, the key enabler for learning new music in a specific key is transposable electronic score sheets. I even bought myself an iPad for this purpose. But so far all I've used it for is to display scanned images of paper music sheets that I already had :-(

Getting a little off-topic, but one thing holding me back... With an electronic score display, how do you add annotations to the score??

"Do you always play in the key of C?"

Yes.

When I started out, in another century, I played mostly in C. Then I learned G, then F, then D, then A, then Bb, then E, then Eb. I could get by in the other keys, but not as easily because I just don't play them much.
I think in chord intervals, like I, IV, V7. Instead of a G aug, if I'm in C, I think of 5 aug.
I sometimes transpose if a particular song is easier in a different key and I need to sing it in a different key, or if a certain "lick" is easier in a certain key.
For example Floyd Kramer type piano riffs that use his signature grace note thing are MUCH easier in white keys, C,F,G.

For keyboard, probably , yes, most of my keyboard music Is in key of C.
For piano whatever key it is written in.