“C, E flat and G walk into a bar…” (bar joke)

“A guy walks into a bar…” is a typical form of what has been called the “bar joke.” “C, E flat and G walk into a bar” is the start of a popular music version of the joke. “We don’t serve minors!” the bartender tells them.
 
“ok so a C, an E flat, and a G walk into a bar and the bartender says ‘we don’t serve minors’” was cited in print in 2005.
 
 
YMAA
Bad joke time
by landon » Fri Jul 01, 2005 12:57 pm
ok so a C, an E flat, and a G walk into a bar and the bartender says “we don’t serve minors.”
 
So the E flat leaves, and the C and the G slam back a couple of fifths.
 
(you gotta be a music nerd to get this one.)
           
New York (NY) Times
Roommates, the Online Version
By TAMAR LEWIN
Published: September 13, 2006
Patti Kilroy, newly arrived at New York University from Miami, and her roommate, Bliss Baek, already suspected they would get along, even before arriving on campus.
 
Ms. Kilroy, a violin major, posted some funny pictures of herself on Facebook, a networking Web site used by many students, along with her favorite music joke. (So a C, an E flat and a G walk into a bar and the bartender says, “You know I don’t serve minors.’’ So the E flat walks out and the C and G split a fifth.’’)
 
Twitter
AndreaAWilliams
‏@AndreaAWilliams
@smcSeattle It was lovely to have met you last night. An C,Eb, and G walk into a bar. The bartender says 2 the Eb, “No minors allowed!”
1:23 PM - 25 Feb 2009
 
Twitter
Richard Fife
‏@RichardFife
C, E-flat, and G walk into a bar, bartender says we don’t serve minors, so E-flat leaves and C and G have an open fifth between them.
1:13 PM - 26 Jul 2009
 
Google Groups: rec.music.classical.guitar
Question about flat & sharp keys
Richard Yates
8/18/09
So, C, E-flat and G walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, but we don’t serve minors.

So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them.
 
After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out flat.
 
F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.
 
D comes in and heads for the bathroom, saying, “Excuse me. I’ll just be a second.”
 
Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not A Minor.
 
Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, “Get out! You’re the seventh minor I’ve found in this bar tonight.”
 
E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, “You’re looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development.”
 
Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au naturel.
 
Eventually, C sobers up and realizes in horror that he’s under a rest.
 
C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution of a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of D.S. without Coda at an upscale correctional facility.
 
reddit
So a C, an E-flat and a G walk into a bar… (self.funny)
submitted September 23, 2010 by mogaly to /r/funny
So a C, an E-flat and a G walk into a bar. The bartender says, “sorry, but we don’t serve minors.” So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp enough.
 
A D comes in and heads for the bathroom saying, “Excuse me. I’ll just be a second.” Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat hiding at the end of the bar and says, “Get out! You’re the seventh minor I’ve found in this bar tonight.”
 
E-Flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely shined shoes. The bartender says, “you’re looking sharp tonight. Come on in, this could be a major development.” Sure enough, E-flat soon takes off his suit and everything else, and is au natural. Eventually, C, who had passed out under the bar the night before, begins to sober up and realizes in horror that he’s under a rest.
 
So, C goes to trial, is convicted of contributing to the diminution of a minor and sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an up scale correctional facility. The conviction is overturned on appeal, however, and C is found innocent of any wrongdoing, even accidental, and that all accusations to the contrary are bassless.
 
The bartender decides, however, that since he’s only had tenor so patrons, the soprano out in the bathroom and everything has become alto much treble, he needs a rest and closes the bar.
     
Google Books
The Lost Second Book of Aristotle’s “Poetics”
By Walter Watson
Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press
2012
Pg. 200:
Or the bar may simply provide a context for more homonymy: “So a C, an E flat, and a G walk into a bar and the bartender says, ‘You know I don’t serve minors.’ So the E flat walks out and the C and G split a fifth.”
 
Business Insider
Explanations to 13 jokes only smart people understand
JILLIAN D’ONFRO
JAN. 30, 2015, 4:57 PM
(...)
C, Eb, and G walk into a bar. The bartender says, “Sorry, no minors.”
It’s funny because: C, Eb, and G are the musical notes that constitute a C minor chord.