Singers, find your keys!!
More than likely, if you are a singer, there are very few songs that you can sing well in the original key or the “standard” key. I can certainly say that for myself; there are maybe a handful of tunes that I can sing straight out of the Real books and sound good. Why is that? Well, the choice of key of the printed versions of songs is determined by a lot of factors. Maybe it was a great key for the original singer of the song (but not so great for you). Many jazz tunes were written for tenors, for example, so as an alto, I’m dropping those down a minor 3rd right from the get-go. Maybe the composer just wrote it in that key and it was never changed. Maybe, especially if you’re looking at an easy arrangement of the song, it was transposed to a key with few or no sharps or flats to make it “easy.” No matter; if it’s a song you want to sing, and you want to sound great singing it, it needs to be put in your key.
“Your key.” What does that mean? We all have that range of notes that feels good to sing and sounds good to hear. (I refer to mine as "the wheelhouse.”) Your tone is full, your intonation is solid, and your execution is effortless. Once you’ve determined where that is with any given song, that’s “your key”. As a vocalist, every song you sing should be in your key. You want to create the best situation to sound as good as you can, and the first step is to sing songs in the best key for you.
When you’re ready to put together your book of chosen repertoire, find a trusted accompanist to help you find your keys. For example, say you usually sing something in G, but as the song gets closer to your falsetto voice, your intonation goes sharp. The solution? Try it in F, or Eb, or even D. See which key is the most comfortable for you. And listen to the timbre of your voice as you sing in different keys. Some keys may make your voice sound brighter, and you may choose that for a particular tune. Some keys may tap into a smoky tone to your voice, which may be just right for a blues tune. It’s amazing the difference in timbre that a half step up or down can make! The only caveat here is this: Beware of the keys with many flats or sharps. You aren’t going to win any popularity contests if you tell your fellow musicians that your best key is B major. And, more than likely, they’ll play it in C anyway without telling you. If you can, avoid B and Gb. Some musicians enjoy playing in Db so that can be ok (but don’t be surprised if that gets changed to C sometimes, too!).
Once you figure out your keys, remember them. Memorize them, or save them somewhere. (I have them on my phone because I know I’ll never remember all of them!) You will gain a whole lot of respect from session musicians and rhythm players if you can tell them what key you sing your tunes in.
Finally, don’t be bullied or pressured to sing a song in the original key if it is just not the right key for you, especially at jam sessions or open mics. If someone insists a song needs to be in Bb that you normally sing in F, just smile, say “No, thank you,” and walk away. Don’t sacrifice your performance just because someone refuses to change keys for you. It’s not worth it.
What has been your experience in finding the right keys for songs? Tell us your stories!!
~Rita McConville
“Your key.” What does that mean? We all have that range of notes that feels good to sing and sounds good to hear. (I refer to mine as "the wheelhouse.”) Your tone is full, your intonation is solid, and your execution is effortless. Once you’ve determined where that is with any given song, that’s “your key”. As a vocalist, every song you sing should be in your key. You want to create the best situation to sound as good as you can, and the first step is to sing songs in the best key for you.
When you’re ready to put together your book of chosen repertoire, find a trusted accompanist to help you find your keys. For example, say you usually sing something in G, but as the song gets closer to your falsetto voice, your intonation goes sharp. The solution? Try it in F, or Eb, or even D. See which key is the most comfortable for you. And listen to the timbre of your voice as you sing in different keys. Some keys may make your voice sound brighter, and you may choose that for a particular tune. Some keys may tap into a smoky tone to your voice, which may be just right for a blues tune. It’s amazing the difference in timbre that a half step up or down can make! The only caveat here is this: Beware of the keys with many flats or sharps. You aren’t going to win any popularity contests if you tell your fellow musicians that your best key is B major. And, more than likely, they’ll play it in C anyway without telling you. If you can, avoid B and Gb. Some musicians enjoy playing in Db so that can be ok (but don’t be surprised if that gets changed to C sometimes, too!).
Once you figure out your keys, remember them. Memorize them, or save them somewhere. (I have them on my phone because I know I’ll never remember all of them!) You will gain a whole lot of respect from session musicians and rhythm players if you can tell them what key you sing your tunes in.
Finally, don’t be bullied or pressured to sing a song in the original key if it is just not the right key for you, especially at jam sessions or open mics. If someone insists a song needs to be in Bb that you normally sing in F, just smile, say “No, thank you,” and walk away. Don’t sacrifice your performance just because someone refuses to change keys for you. It’s not worth it.
What has been your experience in finding the right keys for songs? Tell us your stories!!
~Rita McConville