subject: Finding The Right Key To Sing In: Best Tips [print this page] Perhaps you have wanted to perform a favorite song, but you simply couldn't get your voice high or low enough? Every song is written in a certain key. If your vocal scale doesn't match that key, you'll need to set the song into a key you can simply sing.
However the song itself isn't just a consideration when you're determining which key to sing in. Here is a step by step guide to find the right key for any song, regardless of your vocal scale:
Step 1: Find Your Vocal Scale
The first step to discover the right key to sing in is to discover your natural vocal range. With the help of a piano or guitar, select notes on the C chromatic level, beginning with middle C.
Go up the scale, pairing your voice to each note as you play. Find the highest note you can easily sing. That is the top of your natural range. Then go back to middle C and go down to the lowest note you can comfortably sing. That is the base of your normal range.
When you get near the top of your range, you will naturally turn from your chest voice (which is deep and strong, similar to a speaking voice) to your head voice (which is light and airy, but still engages the vocal chords).
With practice, you can give your head voice better control and quality. Don't go very far up the range after you turn to your head voice; you are searching for the notes you can easily sing, not the highest note you can screech out.
Most women tend to be altos or tenors, with lower number being sopranos. Most men have a tendency to be tenors or baritones, with a smaller number being basses.
Step 2: Find the Song's Scale
The next in the process is to analyze the scale of your chosen song. Pay attention to the highest notes that the song, as written, requires you to sing. Then look for the lowest notes. If these notes fall within your scale, or very close, you can probably sing the song in its original key.
If the song has a much broader range than your natural one, you might need to try it in a different key. You can sing a high song in a lower key to ensure you hit all the notes, or you can simply drop the high notes down an octave to make them simpler to sing.
Step 3: Consider the Genre, Volume, and Venue
Some keys are more suitable to specific musical genres because of the musical style and the volume of the additional instruments.
For instance, a song sung in a lower key could possibly work well for a jazz gig in a restaurant setting. The soft music would present a smooth backdrop that did not compete with the singer's vocals.
But if you're planning to play rock music backed by screaming guitars and crashing drums, you may not be heard if you sing in a lower key. Higher notes are naturally louder and very easy to hear over loud music.
Essentially, if you're going to compete with the music for audience's interest, sing higher and louder. If you're in a more peaceful, more relaxed venue, you can sing in a lower key and continue to be heard.
Selecting the right key to sing in requires you to know your voice, your song, and your venue. You can take any song into your scale by transposing it; it's just a matter of practicing the song to make it sound great in a different key.
