Can somebody say what the best way ta tell the key I should play? Sometimes I play n sing playing a scale and am not sure how you guys know how to start ta write new stuff or make it for your voice.?
You can choose ANY key as long as the notes of the song in that key lie comfortably within the pitch range of your voice. You might find that you can sing a particular song well in the key of C for example, but another song might be impossible in that key because it contains notes that are too high or too low - so you'd then choose a different key for the second song. If it contained notes that were too low, you would raise the key to D or E, or whatever it takes to get those low notes within your range. And the opposite applies if there are notes that are too high - you just lower the key to suit. If the song has notes that are too high AND too low for you - then there's NO key that will suit that song. Find another song.
Normally I don't come to this forum, but changing the key of a song? I'm running for the door... I left my last band for that reason.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
changing the key of a song is part of being a good musician, look at clapton, bb king and of those guys, they all sing the same songs in different keys to each other. the bands obligation is to help support the singer, if the singer is struggling the it brings the whole band down, so changing the key to one that suits the singer is advantagous for everyone.
In original music, I understand setting the key. But once a pro band puts it on CD, that's the key. If you want to play in your basement or with other fellows, it' OK to change the key. But playing live for an audience, the key (in my opinion) should be the original key.
Even like Johnny B Goode, it's in Bb. Most bands play in A. I don't get it.
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
Corbind: I have a very low vocal range, if I didn't change the keys of songs I'd be barely be able to sing anything I didn't write. I personally don't think it matters, and even that it's good to change it to make the song my own, even if it's just a little bit. I wouldn't do it just for the hell of it, but I wouldn't think twice about doing it if I needed to.
MelodyKel: A capo is the single most useful tool you can have for finding a key that works for you, whether it's a cover or an original song. Here's what I do: I Play the same chords and voicings each time, moving the capo up and down until I find a position that's comfortable for my voice and allows me to cover the whole melody, even if that's the 11th fret and awful to play. Once I've got that, I work out what the chords I'm playing are, and decide where best to voice them without the capo, or with the capo in a more useful position.
In original music, I understand setting the key. But once a pro band puts it on CD, that's the key. If you want to play in your basement or with other fellows, it' OK to change the key. But playing live for an audience, the key (in my opinion) should be the original key.
Even like Johnny B Goode, it's in Bb. Most bands play in A. I don't get it.
They do it to save the singer's voice from the high notes. It's not just cover bands that do this - if you listen to live albums, you'll find many top names play a half step lower... most of them do this by downtuning, but it's the same result.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
noone will even notice that the songs in a different key when you play it, iv played a song then changed the key to make it easier to sing to have people say 'oh sounds terrible! play it like it is on the cd' cause they were comparing the two. came back a week later, played the changed version without letting them hear the original and they thought it was great, even commenting 'your voice sounds better than last time!'
people dont know...
nearly any band that covers songs will regularly change them in key to suit them, iv seen many famous bands cover songs differently to the album live.
like i said, if it sounds better to sing in a different key, do it. your not winning any points for struggling to copy someone you cant, wheres the musicianship in that? a true muso would shape a song to suit his style and range.
I've had friends try to sing songs (they normally sing at home in the CD key) and say we're not in the right key. And they are right. I find it especially when you move from the key of D to E or vice versa. Open chords change drastically as far as the high or low parts (which includes vocals).
"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."
