Vocal Range - How to Know What Key to Sing in for a Specific Song

[@mattbailey7049]

Not all songs’ highest or lowest notes will land on the same degree of the scale, hence why your comfortable key will vary from song to song. Very helpful video!

[@flynnlizzy5469]

Except for your 'key' is either, in most if not all cases in popular music, is either major or minor which has nothing to do with ones vocal range. Your range may be between E1 to B3, whatever.or, to be real technical, A 440 to ,,, whatever. The proper response would be "I can't sing in this register, its to high / low for me, can we take it down a 3rd, an octave, whatever, just not another key., not if you want to sing the song how it was written. I'm not trying to be an obstinate dick here, its just a very common mistake singers / musicians make and should be corrected.

[@31emxof]

And in a world where nearly every male role in musical theatre for the past couple decades has been written for "baritenor" voices (because apparently making everyone strain for a note is an easier path to drama than having them act) it would be nice if musical directors were actually willing to let people sing in the appropriate key for their voice.

[@pianoinaflash]

.... and ..... we have a winner! Ha!! Mark that's one of the funniest, and dead spot-on comments I've gotten here on YT in ages. You speak the truth!! Heck I even hear aging pop/rock stars continue to try and yodel the long not attainable high notes of their youth trying to sing their own tunes in the original recorded key! Why they don't just have the band slide it down 2 or 3 half-steps is beyond me. The musicians playing in that caliber of groups certainly have the chops to do it ... I just don't get it. Thanks for the comment. S.H.

[@townsendmedia]

7:40 Thank you for explaining this so basically and showing two examples to help me understand Vocal Ranges.

[@nahaniyes]

Also, I love the little trick with the last note of a song. That is too cool!

[@HappyGuyCMB]

I've wondered about this for a long time. Thanks. BTW: you started me on piano. I recommend your material to people all the time. I quote 2 of your main approaches: use the fingers you like and start with a song you like. The magic begins from there.

[@pianoinaflash]

So glad it (and previous stuff I've done) has helped. Have fun!

[@DavetheIV]

Ah, most helpful & well explained. I'd been looking for the ONE key fits all songs avenue, but now realise this isn't the way to go about getting a song right for my voice. Thanks to you for a simple and accurate explanation and demonstration.

[@gavinvonmeyer3746]

Again, a brilliant description. Simplified and gives one confidence on a subject matter that I had a serious phobia for.

[@izunshirucreepercat3732]

Y'all, I'm already in love with this guy

[@MisterBudBrown]

What a great explanation. Thank you so much for this video.

[@loredanaroyce9527]

Always the best teacher ever

[@pianoinaflash]

*blush* Thanks!

[@mulandicecilia1532]

True..He explains so well

[@clydeb7713]

Thanks soo much. Nobody ever explained it this way, but I hate regular karaoke because I'm a very good singer, but if it is not in my range, boy do I sound awful trying to reach notes!

[@pianoinaflash]

You're not alone! ha! Yeah - pros sing tunes in their ranges, or don't sing them publicly, right? Make all the difference in the world.

[@clydeb7713]

@@pianoinaflash I watch old Elvis vids and he's always pointing and telling the band which key he wants before he sings.

[@lesliejames684]

@@clydeb7713 Elvis was an exceptional singer who had a large range he could sing from low to very high, it as a natural talent.

[@clydeb7713]

@@lesliejames684 No, he ALWAYS demanded the musicians played in his KEY. He did not have the range of Michael Jackson. Michael Jackson had a bigger voice range than Elvis Presley. Jackson was comfortable in the tenor range, and could easily sing in the E4-G4 range. He could also belt in the 5th octave.

[@judywelday9387]

I am not a singer by any means, but a very informative video. Thanks!

[@joeritchie8653]

Very informative. Thank you for teaching me how to transpose a song to fit my vocal range.

[@peonylee4773]

I really appreciate how well you explained this. Thank you very much, Scott.

[@pianoinaflash]

You're so welcome!

[@BrandEver117]

This is delightfully basic and retro

[@SusanRichardsDay]

Makes perfect sense ! Thank you for explaining this .

[@mrbillygebbie2586]

Excellent explanation! Thank you soooo much, now I understand! Billy G.

[@HIGHWAYATMIDNIGHT]

Appreciate you Scott! This is such an important step to finding your voice.

[@mnr146]

Thanks a lot for explaining this so well. I understand this concept so much better now. Thank you.

[@nahaniyes]

Thank you for this FABULOUS video! I have been pondering this answer for so long, and as I'm now going to be purchasing a ukulele to add to my singing, I have been perplexed as to whether I should buy a tenor or a baritone, as they are tuned in different keys. I didn't know how important or not that was but I guess it's not. At least not as far as "key" wise. It's the range and not the key, so either of those should be okay. Thank you!

[@pianoinaflash]

Glad it helped! Have fun...

[@だんざん]

WOW, best explanation ever. You are a very-very-VERY good teacher 👨‍🏫

[@HectorPerez-kx9lj]

Thank you sir!! I've been struggling understanding keys on my guitar and this video makes it do easy to understand. 👍👍

[@shittujoshua4026]

This is so basic and explicit. Thank you.

[@vernonparrish7066]

Thank you! this was very helpful. I've always believed that , depending on the song, determines what key you should sing it in. I've often told music directors that wanted me to sing lead on certain songs that, the key is fine up until I get to a certain range/key in the song! some would suggest that I simply sing that part at a lower range. Well, to a trained singer that's a simple fix but to an inexperienced singer, I would need to be given an example. Sing it for me! Let me here the change that you are suggesting I make. Instead of singing high at that point in the song, sing at a lower or mid range. Hmm. Depending on the song, that can pull from the songs effect. To be more clear, the song sounds much better singing the high note instead of the low note. Oh, and thanks for the tip on finding the right key someone is singing in. this is very important for those of us who play by ear. Someone starts to sing, but you don't know what key they are singing in, your tip will help out in that area.

[@TroyChiappone]

Extremely helpful thank you so much for making this 👍👍 clearly and methodically well organized and easy to understand.

[@pianoinaflash]

Thanks Troy! Glad it helped out.

[@MirA12334]

I was struggling to understand this but that really visualized it. Now unto trying it out for the songs i like to play. Maybe i can improve my singing like that.

[@djfingersflores]

This video was so helpful, thanks a mill Piano Guy! You are the best !

[@ellispoole2196]

Thanks, you teach within my frequency.

[@AnaPhillips97]

Very informative: explanatory : and visual

[@xhamilton91x]

I tune my guitar in d standard, I can hit most rock highs on an acoustic platform cover easily and be able to continue singing and covering most covers without risk of error or throwing out my voice too quickly because most of us don't have the vocal false chord range of Chris Cornell's legendary high.

[@michaellyons6885]

I've always been a dummy at understanding music. This was SO helpful. Super clear. Thank you!

[@pianoinaflash]

You're welcome! Glad it helped...

[@joshnic6639]

@@pianoinaflash but how do you know it which octave to moved to? Or can you move anywhere? I don’t understand which octave you’re referring to or maybe that’s the wrong question. Please help 🙂

[@davidnampi_]

Awesome Video, very informative! Thanks and God Bless!

[@samcharbaji6168]

Thank God I got it it was always a mystery to me but not any more yeah I had to give this guy a thumbs up thanks mate

[@pianoinaflash]

Glad it helped!

[@lwaldorf7796]

Lovely video 💜 the idea is much more clear now

[@pianoinaflash]

Glad it helped! Have fun!

[@joesasnett]

Great video. Very informative. I learned a lot.

[@dsadberry]

Thank you. This was very helpful.

[@joannaloha]

I like your style!!

[@Mark_68574]

Brilliant explanation! Thank you very much!

[@pianoinaflash]

I'm glad it helped you out... thx!

[@sidb37]

Very useful. Thank you.

[@ExposedVariant]

This made sense, thank you

[@britneyanselmo2831]

You’re an amazing teacher! Tyty

[@acemilesdomain]

thanks for this video it makes a lot of sense to me i forgot i use to do this in my punk band believe or not lol fun times

[@marcleflamand4368]

Thank you! Super clear!

[@Jessica_Valerio]

SO informative. Thank you so.

[@pianoinaflash]

You're welcome! Hope it helped ...

[@cn1577]

This video answered my wondering 🤔 Tks a bunch. Sir !

[@traegermethod3802]

This is awesome. Thank you.

[@pmwizard48]

Thanks Scott, great advice!

[@pianoinaflash]

You got it...

[@josephjamesnzowa3989]

Learned alot here,Thanks alot!!!

[@JohnTruth-h5f]

Hi there. I enjoyed your presentation and found it very interesting and helpful. As I play Harmonica and sing when I perform, I need to get a good quality microphone headset to use so as to obviate the need for me to try and cope with holding a hand-held wireless microphone at the back of my Harmonica. I would be very grateful if you would share with me the brand and model of the headset microphone you are wearing for this video presentation. The timbre of your voice and clarity of the overall sound says much for the mic you are using as it picks up every nuance of your vocal expression. Look forward to hearing from you on this by way of a posting in reply to mine. All the best to you. Cheers

[@pianoinaflash]

That is an ancient Shure SM-10... I think I originally got that Mic in the late 80s when I was performing live all the time. Ha! That thing is an absolute warhorse and tough as nails. Because I wanted some integrated in-ear monitors (and a lot less obtrusive appearance) I have since switched to another headset made by DPA that is much smaller and less obtrusive ...

[@HMEsinglestill]

So the key basically depends on (1) The notes that composed the song (2) the singer's range. If the highest note of a song is in high C and the lowest is in F, and your range is B-G, then the high C is your G and F is your low C. So, the key can be the one in the middle of low C and G which is the E. If I analyze it further, it shows that the original singer's key is A. And if the notes the composes the song cannot be adjusted for your range, then it shows that you need to select a different song to sing, Correct?

[@justdandy1]

Super helpful and simply explained.

[@finfin9031]

Awesome thank you mr. White you earned a sub here

[@oliviahart7983]

Thank you !!

[@yash2000dk]

VERY VERY HELPFULL!

[@pianoinaflash]

Great! Glad it helped.

[@brianpetersen3429]

Good video... I'm glad to have a "transpose" feature on my digital keyboard.

[@pianoinaflash]

NOW you know how that comes in handy... Ha!

[@TraceyPatter]

Wonderful video!! My lead choir singers are moving to other states and I've been trying to figure our how I can sing until I get the new lead singers ready. This is extremely helpful. My congregation probably thanks you as well!!!

[@pianoinaflash]

Great! Glad it helped... :-)

[@hiphopaneer]

Thank you for that 🙏🏻

[@imcurious1009]

Great job.

[@MarkellosVicente]

...marvelous explanation, my very dear friend... ... I use to sing with my guitar, then I use this fantastic gadget called capo, when I need to change a key!!! 🎹🎼🎵🎶🌹🎶🎵🎼🎹

[@jonasetseymortoo9881]

Thank you so much sir 🙏🙏🙏

[@andrewmeacham4595]

I have to sing at a funeral in less than two weeks. (Yeah, I’m a little stressed.) I find this video about “how to find out what key to sing in for a specific song” only to learn that you “don’t want to get into specific keys.” But you recommend I DO find one that suits my range. Great! Guess I’ll keep looking. You know, “specific keys” and all that. But thanks for a great…title.

[@pianoinaflash]

Sorry Andrew, but I think you missed the entire point of the video ... The idea is that there is NOT a "specific key" that works for everyone for any specific tune. It will likely be different for every singer based on their range, which you can find out by doing what I did on this video with whatever tune you are trying to figure out the best key for YOU to sing it in. If what you mean by your comment is that you've done that and found a range that works for you, but you don't know at that point what key that represents for that tune, you have 2 choices. 1) find the very last melody note of the tune wherever you are singing it after finding a good range for yourself - the very last one... and it is *highly* likely whatever that note is will in fact also be the key of the tune. Last note an Eb for example? then you're probably in the key of Eb as well. Choice 2) Ask whomever is going to be accompanying you to listen to where you are singing it, and have them hone in on the key. If they are worth their salt, they'll be able to figure it out pretty quickly once they hear where you are singing the melody. Hope that helps!

[@justinoreilly1249]

Great lesson! I'm a guitar player (not much of a singer) but I have to say.. you've put together a great tutorial/foundation here that'll help anyone understand their vocal range. Appreciate the tips & tricks.. Cheers!

[@evertonmarshall6109]

Excellent

[@diranu605]

Awesome ... Thank you!!

[@BluesnCruise]

Cheers mate

[@robertabenitez1430]

This was very helpful. Thank you so much! 🎹🎤

[@farajangandu9111]

Each song has its key and professional singer have to learn certain keys for certain songs

[@charlita25]

Great 👍🏾 tips

[@maximumaverage]

Very helpful

[@janitzioIII]

thank you it helped a lot

[@ren7ee]

Thank you!

[@thebminusshow]

Transposing right?

[@MariaHeaven]

Love it ❤

[@xtra1234]

What about half steps. What if you need to slighty drop it?

[@LeechyBoi]

this is lit! thanks fam!

[@JohnDoe-vv3id]

Thank you.

[@Crazed_Ink]

Is that will fort? Or his brother Phillip, William or Richard Forte?

[@DonTheDevMC]

Damn, I always based me key of lad the first chord , woops

[@exwhyz33]

Great explanation. Are there only certain keys that I can select as my 'key'

[@yinggui1924]

Thank you very much for the good explanation. However, from the pianist point of view, what notes should he sing in his heart when he shifts the key ? If you were the pianist playing the accompanying music, do you do fixed do solfege, singfrom C , or you do a movable do solfege?

[@janedoe-hq9vn]

So, transposing the song?

[@robertdefex9544]

I had it back wards trying to match the chords

[@dwalk764]

What if your trying to find the key for a choir?

[@jennyomalley7634]

I've just ended up on the video and watched again , 3 years later, you say it how it is , all poodles are dogs , but not all dogs are poodles.

[@LuizHenriqueMiranda]

The video is very informative, but the volume is pretty low. I had to raise my headphone to 100 (I use it on 10!) in order to hear it better.

[@danielquaye8372]

In some settings like ours where you start with any song randomly and then continuously churn out more songs to sing during the program yet the new songs still fit in the key we started with. Are we great or naive?

[@michaelkuhn402]

I always thought that singers had a particular key. WOW was I wrong.

[@nounix]

Hi! Very quick question: I am trying to remix a song with female vocals which is in e minor. What I want to do is keep the key of the song (and obv the female vocals) as is - in e minor - but I want to use the female acapella and at certain parts of the vocals change (lower) their key to make them sound like they're male vocals. So as to end up making a "duet" off a man and a woman :P My question is what key "goes" with this e minor song for the "male" vocals; so that I know what key/s I can shift the female vocals to add the parts of the song that I want? I assume that this must be possible as there are countless songs with man/woman duets that is obv one key, but that doesn't mean that the male tries to make his voice sound... female lol (and the male vs female vocals are obv sang in different keys since a man has a "deeper" voice than a woman- right?) THANKS!!

[@heythere6983]

So as a tenor, what keys would typically work for me? I don’t know theory so I need a bit help with understanding this, I have songs so I have to figure out their keys. But what would the typical keys for a tenor be?

[@markE946]

So if you look at the circle of 5ths, F is at 11 o'clock and C is at 12 o'clock. I can play November Rain quite well on the piano yet singing it is quite difficult, it opens in E then most of the ballard is in the key of B, however I can't actually sing in that range, so as C to B on the Circle of 5ths is almost a tritone apart, do you use the Circle to determine where you're best suited to for vocal ranges, ie Bb, F, C, G being only a 5th apart or use the notes linerarly, ie C down to B then Bb etc... ?

[@scotthouston6780]

Either would work, but the circle of 5ths (or 4ths if you're going the other direction...) really has no connection to what we're talking about here. The thing to understand is just that you are trying to "slide" the melody up or down however far you need to get it in a range you can sing it. If you're just barely not able to get the highest or lowest notes of a melody sung, then you just need to move a smidge one way or other (i.e. what you are calling linearly). if you're not even close to being able to sing the high or low note you probably need to move a bigger interval than just a few steps just to save some time as you are figuring out where it works with your voice. By doing that you may happen to have moved either a 5th or a 4th which would be the next or previous stop around the circle. But, there was no magic that "the circle" caused to get you there - you're just trying to find a range that works for you. Hope that helps clarify! Have fun... Scott

[@markE946]

@@scotthouston6780 Thank you, I appreciate your explanation

[@simplyviki]

thanks, any way to find the key if I don't have any instrument but producing in garageband ?

[@chrishanson3918]

There keyboard app that are really good

[@flynnlizzy5469]

Hello PianoGuyTV, love your videos so much and I am hoping, given your education and experience, that you might be able to put to rest this question ? If yes, this is the question: Should or shouldn't a singer use the term 'register' (or 'range') rather than 'key' ie: 'I can't sing in that key" when speaking about their vocal range ? I've heard many singers over the years, both in person and in videos, say that they "... can't sing in this or that 'key" or '''thats not in my key, I need to sing it in a lower/higher key" etc.'. So, the question is: Isn't it that they can sing in the 'key' (keys are either major or minor etc) but maybe the song isn't in the 'RANGE' that singer is comfortable with ? Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated !!

[@pianoinaflash]

Hi! 100% YES to the fact that a singer has some range/register that if extended a lot higher or lower will make something uncomfortable (or unable) to be sung. That has absolutely zero correlation to keys in general. The connection is that a singer might not be able to sing *one particular tune* in a *some particular key* because that key would place the melodic range in a register uncomfortable for him/her. That has zero correlation to whether or not some *other* tune's melody would be good or bad for them in that same key. It just depends on the melody ... Hope that helps! SH

[@flynnlizzy5469]

@@pianoinaflash Thank you for the quick response ! My experience has been that most people do not really answer the question so its either my fault for not explaining my thought properly or the reader has been so used to speaking this way, they don't get the point of the question. This is not meant as a knock, so don't misunderstand, everybody says: 'I can't sing in that 'key' or that 'key' is too high/low for me" and have done so since long before I was born.. But, when you think about it, its not that you can't sing in that 'key' .Of course you can sing in the 'key' - a 'key' only denotes how many sharps and flats and says nothing about where to start on the keyboard other than the route note. How many 'C' notes or 'A' notes on the 88 key piano? Rather, one should say: "This song is not in my 'register' or 'voice range', so saying: "We need to lower (or raise) the pitch (transpose it or whatever) so that its in my voice range", not say 'in my 'key'. It may just be that there is no easy way to say it so this is why people just say 'not in my key', even though its 'technically' incorrect !! Its not in your "voice range" is correct. Of course as long as people know what you mean, the actual words you use don't really matter - thats why I say 'technically speaking'. **People still say "I video taped' this or that even though they recorded it digitally. We still talk like we are back in the days of actual rolls of film and video tape even though its pretty much long gone technology. We need to invent some new words for the digital era too while we are at it !!.

[@pianoinaflash]

@@flynnlizzy5469 "We need to lower (or raise) the pitch (transpose it or whatever) so that it's in my voice range", not say 'in my 'key'. - Exactly correct. 100% agree.

[@flynnlizzy5469]

@@pianoinaflash Thank you for responding !

[@charlita25]

🎹🎼 I wish I could play keys

[@buddyvibez6782]

He was choking on that 2nd part of the melody every time lmaoooooo. good video though

[@artseducationalservicesabn7926]

So if I dont have a score and dont have perfect pitch, how is it possible to figure out what the best key for me?

[@pianoinaflash]

Did you watch the video? (not being sarcastic... just making sure as it explains exactly what you are asking) If you didn't understand something specific in it, respond back and I'll try my best to best to answer

[@edgymix9109]

Hey i have a question. When i look up guitar tabs it would say something like “key Bm” but when i look up the vocals it would say “key D major” Arent vocals soppose to be the same key as the guitar/instruments?

[@pianoinaflash]

Sounds like you are just finding different versions of the tune notated in different keys. But to be clear - yes - the vocals and the harmony (guitars/pianos/whatever else is playing the chord changes) need to be in the same key. Hope that helps!

[@pmwizard48]

Is it more difficult if you are in a key with a lot of sharps or flats?

[@pianoinaflash]

meh... maybe? If that is giving you trouble just go one more half-step up or down and you can usually move from a "tough" key to an easier one...

[@ephraimwarrior6766]

This is kinda strange but it work butt if you use the Nashville number system for high singers you move the key down for lower singers you move the key up Lol😂

[@johnnyhendriks6773]

Do I as a singer have a favorite key? So is it possible that my voice like to sing in F# key in many songs OR does it depend on the song which key fits my Range?

[@scotthouston6780]

Watch again and it will answer your question, but no, your voice has a range. You then find the key for a song that will put that particular tune "into" your range. I suppose if you sang a bunch of songs that all had a similar range of the melody line, then it could "seem" like you tended to have "a key" for your voice, but it's all a function of finding the highest and lowest notes in the melody of a tune, then shifting the key until those high and low notes fit within the range of your voice.

[@johnnyhendriks6773]

@@scotthouston6780 thanks Scott!

[@abrokenandacontriteheart1308]

So if I could sing in both ranges a little better in the higher range what does that make me a baritone?