I can carry a tune, but I have no idea what my range or key is as I’ve never trained or sung professionally or in a choir. I’m auditioning for a musical and I have to choose a specific key for my sheet music. Unfortunately most of my friends are as musically illiterate as I am.
Does anybody know of an app or a device or a type of dog or whatever that can give you an idea of what key you sing in?
It seems odd to me to ask someone what key they sing in, because while one’s vocal range is essentially constant, the key they sing in will vary from song to song. There’s no such thing as only one key that suits a singer’s voice for every song. It would make more sense to me if they asked you to choose your sheet music by vocal range rather than by key.
You can google “vocal range” and find information about what constitutes an alto, a tenor, etc. On YouTube you can find videos to sing along with to find the low and high points of your range, and thus figure which applies to you. Try “finding vocal range.”
Sing the Do-Re-Mi scale in various ranges that are comfortable to you, and then match the low-Do and the high-Do to known tones on an instrument or tuner.
Agreed that specifying a key to sing in is a weird request, as a song key does not imply any particular vocal range. That is, unless the songs are already picked out, and they are just asking what alternate key, if any, to transpose the selected music to; I suppose that might make sense.
Moderator Action
Since this concerns the art of making music, let’s move this over to Cafe Society (from General Questions).
The OP is very strange indeed. Do you sing everything in the same key? You seem to not even know what a key is.
I’m wondering if Sampiro is trying to find out if he’s a tenor, baritone, etc?
I’ve been told I sing in the key of F flat.
These are the instructions:
“You must bring sheet music in the correct key. (Many times people select a piece of music and if they don’t know music MAY be surprised when the musician starts to play in a higher or lower range than they expected. Often they ask the accompanist to transpose and our lady doesn’t do that.)”
I’m no expert, but I suspect what that is referring to is that you may be used to singing that song in a different key than what it’s written in on the sheet music.
That makes more sense. If you cannot read sheet music:
- Pick the song you wish to sing.
- Acquire the sheet music to the song, and get someone who does read sheet music to play it for you, to make sure that it isn’t too high or too low for your comfort.
- If it’s too high or too low for your comfort, find an alternate copy that is written in a high or lower key, depending on your needs.
What can happen is that someone may hear a recording of a song and decide they want to play or sing it. So they obtain a copy of the sheet music and are surprised that the sheet-music copy does not necessarily match the recording they heard, or else doesn’t match how they prefer to sing it when left to their own devices (some different notes/accompaniment, higher/lower key, etc…)
He doesn’t, and he admits to being unfamiliar with the right words in OP.
But we do (some of us), and can either give him a nudge in that direction if we think it’ll help the intended meaning of the OP, which is range/tessitura.
If I understand this correctly, you are going to sing a song (or several songs?) of your choice for your audition, and you are to provide sheet music for their accompanist to play said song(s). This sheet music must be in the key(s) you will sing in so the accompanist can play it as written and doesn’t have to transpose on the fly to match your voice.
Choose your song(s) and get someone knowledgeable to help you determine the right key for you. (If there’s more than one song, they may well be in different keys – figure the keys on a song by song basis.) Once you know the correct key for your voice, find a music store or maybe an online sheet music service and get copy in that key.
Sampiro: if you name the song you want to sing, if it’s a popular song we could help you find the key it was recorded in, if that’s how you know it.
See if the song you want is on musicnotes.com. Many of the pieces there are available in several keys (selectable in the lower right pane), and you can preview by hitting the triangular Play button in the upper right.
Sing along with the preview and see if it’s too high or too low. If so, adjust the key until you find one that works.
You don’t necessarily have to buy the sheet music through there, but it is pretty convenient.