• Registered: 2006-10-15
  • Posts: 16

Topic: SINGING ALONG

In the shower I don't do so bad...but I am loath to take my guitar in there with me.  When I'm singing along to a song I'm learning (and which I'm playing in the key that I found it (either in a book or on Chordie or whereever) sometimes it seems on key (I ask my wife and often she says its OK -- she's a good pianist), but sometimes not.  Now I know everyone's voice is keyed differently and good singers can move around from key to key and up and down to higher and lower octaves (range), but how does a rank amateur like me know in advance what keys are good for my voice?  Sometimes I transpose a song and it gets easier to sing with, and sometimes a new key makes it worse.  Theoretically did a composer write a particular song in a particular key or did  they compose it for their own voice?

  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: SINGING ALONG

Hey Baba,

I guess it's just one of those things that are kinda trial and error. I usually try it with they key I find it in but if I find that parts of the song get too high or low for me then I will transpose it up or down accordingly. The Mighty Chordie makes it easy to do this.

I always remember the Freddy Mercury tribute concert a good few years back and many of the artists involved said that all they had heard in preparation for this was singers asking for the key to be changed to suit them. It seems Freddy had such a fantastic range that he could sing anything.


Don't be afraid to mess around with the key. Only thing is that sometimes this can make the transposed chords a bit more difficult. Get yourself a capo, if you don't already have one, and it all becomes a wee bit easier.

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • upyerkilt
  • upyerkilt
  • Unofficial king of Scotland
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  • From: Balloch, Scotland, UK, Earth
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 3,290

Re: SINGING ALONG

yeah capos are great for this instead of working out the new chords.

But sometimes you might just not get it. I have difficulties with a few songs, one being " nothing ever happens" by Del Amirti, great song but  icannot sing the verses and the chorus. I can do the verses perfect then when it comes to the choris I have to sing very loudly, near enough shouting to get the right key. Then if I dont sing the verses I can do the chorus.

Also another song I do "hush hush" a scottish trad. song, i have to have my capo on the 4th fret. I struggled with this song for a few years until somone told me to keep puting the capo up and up and now I got it down to a T.


O ther songs that I like and have difficulties with either singing or playing I just leave them aside until I can be bothered to rearange things on it to make it sound good enough with my voice or my playing.


Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending
  • Registered: 2006-07-09
  • Posts: 47

Re: SINGING ALONG

hey hey!

  i have a very limited range... at home i'll play and sing in whaterver key i learned the song in, but i play bass in a bar band. i've been told it's harder to sing while playing bass and i would have to agree with that.

i do all my bar songs in Bb.. i didn't play for several years as i got tired of listenin to guitar players whine about having to transpose. i thought if they were gonna play for pay they should be willing to put some effort into it. also i played drums for years and could NEVER sing on key while drumming. then i worked at a very noisy place and had to wear ear plugs.

they actually allow you to "hear" yourself much better.

now i do new songs with ear plugs try it sometime. it works well for me.


peace, slim

  • Registered: 2006-10-15
  • Posts: 16

Re: SINGING ALONG

Thanks each of you for the advice and encouragement.  Its good to know even the pros whine a little.  As for the capo -- yes I do have one and I think I understand its use; correct me if I'm wrong -- each higher fret you put it one raises the pitch one step (or half note).  So if you play say a C chord with its typical fingering, you are now playing a C# chord?  If you have the capo on fret two, this chord becomes D.  Is that how it works?  But what do you do if you need to move down a bit.  Seems the capo can only raise the pitch.

  • From: Cardiff
  • Registered: 2006-04-26
  • Posts: 66

Re: SINGING ALONG

The problem I have with singing (apart from my terrible voice!) is keeping a steady strumming pattern all the way through.  I have a tendancy to strum to the beat of the syllables of the particular lyrics!  I find it really hard to avoid!

  • From: Renfrewshire, Scotland
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 1,359

Re: SINGING ALONG

You've got the capo thing spot on.



<table border="0" align="center" width="90%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td class="SmallText"><b>Baba30 wrote on Mon, 23 October 2006 10&#58;18</b></td></tr><tr><td class="quote">
  But what do you do if you need to move down a bit.  Seems the capo can only raise the pitch.
</td></tr></table>


If you think about how many notes there are within an octave, there really aren't that many. It's very unlikely that you are going to have to transpose by a whole octave, so even moving your capo up 3 or even 4 frets can help you find a suitable key for you. The pitch of the chords may go up but you can only go up so far before you find that singing lower fits in.

I hope I'm not talking bollocks here(any pros out there must be laughing there G strings off) and I hope you can follow what I mean.


Al

Is anything really made up of zeros and ones??

alvee33's Website

  • Jimny
  • Junior Member
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  • Registered: 2006-10-22
  • Posts: 1

Re: SINGING ALONG

I have the exact same problem I can sing if someone else plays but when I try playing and singing simultaneously it all goes a bit pear shaped any tips anyone?

  • upyerkilt
  • upyerkilt
  • Unofficial king of Scotland
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  • From: Balloch, Scotland, UK, Earth
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 3,290

Re: SINGING ALONG

Hi baba,

here are a few links that might help. It shows what chord is getting getting played depending where the capo is.


<a href="http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdom/capo/index.php" target="_blank">http://www.cyberfret.com/misc-wisdom/capo/index.php</a>


and


<a href="http://www.bigcitystring.com/capo.htm" target="_blank">http://www.bigcitystring.com/capo.htm</a>


Ken

ye get some that are cut out for the job and others just get by from pretending