Singers changing key: how much is too much?

[CaseyVancouver]

Just go with it. Singers need to be in the best key for them.

I’ve gigged where the singer said play in ‘B’ so we played live in ‘C’ haha …but she knew it was ‘C’. She later said no I wanted ‘B’. She was a Canadian star with a hit. Just do what works for them. And when they miss beats or sections, go with them. It’s part of our job as backup musicians. Make ‘em look good and you stay hired.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Good vocals are what audiences notice the most. If you want to impress the crowds, do it. If you want to stroke your ego, don't. The only time I balk is when an instrument part is key to the songs, like an open string lick. In that case, it might not be the right sing for the band.

 

[mstillman]

I strongly prefer doing original keys.

1. The Smithereens are one of my favorite bands, but their tuning down a half-step requires using Audacity to raise songs so bandmates can practice to them.

2. The original "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" is in C major. I believe the highest note is an "a", which I can only hit on the best of days. Fortunately John Fogerty re-recorded it as a duet with Alan Jackson in G major. Mighty neighborly of him!

 

[micguy]

I play church gigs. The ability to play any song in any key is a big part of what makes me good at what I do.

Year ago, earlier in my development, One weekend I had a gig at a church that didn't always get the keys right in Planning Center (churches communicate with those of us involved in a service with this software). So, I had a chord chart in one key, and an mp3 in another. Rather than fight with the guy about what key it was in, I decided to take the high road and learn it (everything is memorized in my world, regardless of how little time you have to do it in) in both keys - not a big deal. I got to the church, and surprise! we were doing it in a 3rd key - this was for Saturday evening's service. That went fine, we came in on Sunday morning, and had a different singer - the worship pastor had to be at another campus, so that was what we had. The new singer says "sorry guys, my throat is trashed...could we...?" You guessed it, 4th key.

Singers are (at least in my world) the people that connect with the audience. As cool as us folks in the back may be, we're the audio equivalent of the background on the Mona Lisa - we're part of what's happening, but we don't get noticed. A good singer in the right key is far better than a great one struggling any day - part of what we do is make sure the singer is comfortable, It's just how things are. If I want to be part of a great musical experience, me struggling a bit with a tough key while the singer is comfortable is fine; the other way 'round is a train wreck. It's just part of the gig - if you sign up for it, that's what you do - flexibility is a big part of the job description.

If you have a band where a singer picks a different key, but after that, can stay with it, consider yourself lucky. I wouldn't complain about that situation at all.

 

[ugly_bassplayer]

When Day tripper is in Bb.

Jump off a bridge asap

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Hey Tea Bee,

So I'm in a band that been on a sorta kinda hiatus for covid reasons and in that time we have come up with a list of 20 new covers.

In our WhatsApp group, the singer announced today he wants to change the key of 19 of those songs to accommodate his range. In some cases it's no stress, a string up a fret down etc, but in others it involves jumping octaves and rearranging whole passages.

I'm just wondering what your thoughts were and if this is normal singer behaviour.

Cast your votes now!

Toured in a Nightclub Group for three years in the early 70's. Female vocalist had a beautiful voice and was a knock-out to look at, but pretty much needed to sing everything in Bb. Taught her how to breathe for singing and get that breath control to support her higher notes and her range opened right up allowing us many more options. Prior to that, anytime she sung lead on a song, it was in Bb.

 

[51PRI]

The singer makes, or breaks, the band. You have to play songs on the key that's best for the singer.

 

[SLO Surfer]

OP, you are a bass guy and your job is to support the singer.

+1

It’s part of our job as backup musicians. Make ‘em look good and you stay hired.

+1

I can’t really vote on this. I’m in two originals bands that also do a fair amount of covers. Both singers sometimes say, “gosh that’s really high,” or, “that’s a bit low,” and we start hunting for a key that works for them. Not being a “covers bass player” myself, I honestly don’t remember which songs we’ve changed and which songs are the original key. Sometimes we even change the key of our original song(s). But our singers sound good and are able to belt it out in their natural ranges.

edit to add: I agree with some people that there’s just some songs, particularly ones with open-string based riffs, that should probably stay in the original key or just not be done, ie. Day Tripper for instance. We tried modulating “She’s Not There” by the Zombies up a half step and had to quickly revert to the original.

 

[dkelley]

Some singers ask for key changes because they feel it's not quite right for them... yet are PERFECTLY capable of singing it in the original key and it sounds great to everyone else.... and that always kinda bugs me unless it's a question of the ultimate note they can only hit in a different key, or some magic that happens in their voice that EVERYONE can hear that only happens in a particular key.

But I'm the singer in my band, and when I say I can't sing it in X key, it's because I LITERALLY Cannot make sound of any value in that key. Otherwise, I try to be flexible. OF course, I'm not a great singer.... like my instrument (my voice) isn't nearly what great singers are blessed with. But I know theory, music, have a great ear... basically all the stuff that musicians have.... so I work with what I've got.

But yea, there are those singers who really CAN sing in lots of keys but don't like to, where as those like me who are just trying to find songs that I can sing without having to drop it by some extreme amount or sing it an octave lower or something radical like that.

 

[dkelley]

My dad told me this and it's not a hard and fast rule but he noted that most women that sing a male song will sometimes sing a fourth or fifth above the original key and the reverse in the case of a male singer covering a woman's song

Same goes for us normal guys trying to sing early robert plant led zep stuff... like trying to sing songs for soprano women's range.

 

[LordRyan]

Some of the bands I play with do songs in a difficult keys not because the singer can't sing it but because the recording was slowed down or sped up and nobody thought to research why the song might appear to be in an odd key. One band I was in played "No Quarter" in Dbm not knowing the recording was slowed down. It is especially difficult to play the keyboard part in this key. I tried to get them to change it but they had played it so long they couldn't deal with transposing it to Dm. Another band plays a song where the recording was sped up to C# that was actually played in C but is so set in their ways with it they can't think about changing the key. Another band is playing a song in Ab because the original version is tuned down but is actually played in open A position. We learned this song together and I pushed to do it in A but they still insist on doing it in Ab even though the guitar part works much better in A.

 

[80jazz]

Some singers ask for key changes because they feel it's not quite right for them... yet are PERFECTLY capable of singing it in the original key and it sounds great to everyone else....

I recently heard the Rush tune Distant Early Warning one step lower and found I could lay into the lower notes better even though the original key is not a problem for me.

The voice is a weird thing, methinks.

 

[Altitude]

We change keys for about half the songs we play. Most songs I don’t care what key, but……

We added Footloose to the song list recently. Original is in A, female singer asked for it in C.

I said - no, just alter the occasional low notes of the melody in the verse (I have performed it with several other female singers who have all done that).

We’re doing it in A.

The chorus bass part in that is a bitch if you don’t have an open string to use.

 

[Dominic D]

The singer always picks the key. There’s not much you can do about their vocal range. If you think the key change sounds bad, then don’t do the song.

 

[Manticore]

It happens as often as necessary.

 

[ArteK]

Seeing the Bowie meme made me think of what Space Oddity sounded like during the Serious Moonlight (Let’s Dance) tour vs. what the original recording sounded like. He sounded great in both but they were very different.

I’ve heard so many bands sound awful when arbitrarily insisting on playing in the original keys, when their singers clearly need to transpose.

I’m in the camp of making the singer sound as good as possible, and adjusting the music as needed. Now whether one shouldn’t even try if they can’t do the original key seems a bit draconian.

 

[Tom Magri]

Songs should be played in a key the singer can sound best in. If changing the key causes some issue with how the song can be played if there are any unusual tunings etc…pick another song. There are decades of tunes to pick from. Is any one tune really critical to the success of a cover band? Play songs that the band sounds awesome playing.

 

[Rib 13]

Whenever this topic comes up, I always want to know if the OP is also a singer.......A vocalists POV is way different from a non singing musicians

 

[BAG]

With our female singer we change key from the original on around 70% of songs.
Playing with guitar, bass, violin and either cajon or drums we try to put our personality in the songs, sometimes changing them drastically. Only once have we tried a new key for a song and decided that it changed the feel of the song too much, and that was only a two step down change.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Good vocals are what audiences notice the most. If you want to impress the crowds, do it. If you want to stroke your ego, don't. The only time I balk is when an instrument part is key to the songs, like an open string lick. In that case, it might not be the right sing for the band.

The singer always picks the key. There’s not much you can do about their vocal range. If you think the key change sounds bad, then don’t do the song.

Whenever this topic comes up, I always want to know if the OP is also a singer.......A vocalists POV is way different from a non singing musicians

All of this. Each singer has a different range, some are wider than others, some have stronger parts of their range - it's a part of a singer knowing their instrument. Yes, they can grow stronger and expand their comfortable range, but there are physical limitations. As an example, most male rock & pop stars are tenors, whereas most men as a whole are baritones. I'm sure the same is true of sopranos and altos for women.

Audiences don't care and just want to hear the singer sound good!

I sang solo covers for years and changed keys mercilessly to fit them into the upper end of my bass-baritone range. Even though I became a stronger singer over time, with more power in my upper range, my vocal chords are just physically bigger than most of the original singers on those tunes - male and of course female. I changed the keys to fit, audiences had a good time = I kept working. The guitarist never complained because he was me!