same song in B major and B minor

Question

This song I'm learning to play-Flower Dance by DJ Okawari-is in B minor in one version and B major in another version. I don't know much at all about transposing and changing a song from a different key so I'm a bit confused. It doesn't sound that different to me, but how much of a difference in sound will this make? Sorry if this is confusing.

This is the sheet music I'm learning from (from Musescore.com):

But there are other versions at https://musescore.com/user/102470/scores/171373 and https://musescore.com/user/7745406/scores/4417756 that are in B Major.

Answer 1

Actually, both of the versions you posted in the comments are in a major key; the first one is in B-flat major, the second one in B major. Hence, there is a one-semitone difference between the two. This doesn't make that much of a difference on how the song will "sound" nowadays, so choosing between them is basically a matter of how easy it is for you to read the score and play it on your instrument. (People tend to have a hard time when there are many accidentals in the key signature, so the B-flat major version is probably the safest option.)

Edit. Thanks for the comment @Dekkadeci, I had not read the scores carefully enough. Substitute every instance of B-flat major above with G minor and every instance of B major with G-sharp minor. The pertinence and meaning of my answer remain unchanged.

Answer 2

The G minor version has fewer mistakes than the other versions, which have been prepared by someone with little skill in music or in notation software:

It's hard to tell which version came first, but on a violin the G minor version will obviously sound richer and more resonant than the G#m version, the string-lengths being greater than if you play it a semitone higher.

Have you got an accompaniment for the G minor version? It is rather short of expression markings, isn't it? But what bowing there is is OK. Bar seven is wrongly notated: the tied A's should just be a regular quaver.