Is this a good singing range?

Singing Keys/Testing Vocal Range

• Hello, I'm a natural singer and I have 2 questions in mind. I know only a bit of musical terms and theory so keep your answer as understandable as possible please. I've always wondered what a musical key. I searched on Wikipedia and get a really complicated answer, but what I know now is that a key isn't the same as a scale. So what does it mean to sing in a different key? Is that a like an octave lower or higher? I know that most songs are written in they key of G so if that's not 'the most comfortable key for my singing', does that mean the band or whoever's playing has to play in a different key and change the whole thing? Another thing, I'd like to know if there's a way to measure one's vocal range without any professional aid. It doesn't have to be accurate, but at least give me an idea of what I'm capable of. So does singing "Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do" on 3 different octaves mean that I have a 3 octave vocal range? Is a 3.7 octave vocal range any good? What about expanding one's vocal range? Is a person born with a certain potential and has to practice to get the most out of it? Or is it more of "the more you work, the more you get" thing? Thanks alot!

• Answer:

  Hello - I've addressed each of your questions below. If you sing the first few notes of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -- "Twinkle, twinkle, little star"... then, sing the exact same melody, but start on a different note -- you just changed "keys." Pick a different starting note, and you change keys again. Notice, the song itself -- the relative relationship of one note to another -- didn't change. Just the "key" (also called key signature) the song is sung in. All the notes are being "shifted" or "transposed" to another key {see (1)}. You will notice if you start the song higher, you have to reach that much higher for some of the notes in the melody. This is what is meant by whether or not the key is in your "vocal range" or a "comfortable key for your singing." To accommodate your range, the entire song would have to be performed in a key in which you're physically able to sing all of the notes. For your accompaniment, this means all of the chords/notes must be changed to reflect that new key. Sometimes this isn't a problem: musicians that are well-versed with their instruments can sometimes "transpose on the fly," especially if the song is a simple pop/rock melody with improvised chords. More complicated material may require additional effort to transpose (although there are actually computer software applications that can transpose an entire song to another key with the push of a button). Incidentally, although "G" ("G Major") is a very popular key, it is just one of several popular keys that music is frequently written in. A simple way to look at it is: as soon as you change the starting note of the melody (and you're keeping the original melody intact), you've changed the key. However, the first note of the melody isn't necessarily the "key" the song is in; changing the starting point of the melody just means you've changed the key to some other one. To answer your question regarding octaves, the simple answer is: no, starting a song one or more octaves up or down from its initial starting note would actually be the only case where you wouldn't be changing keys. Why? Consider the "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti, Do" series for a moment. From "Do" to "Do" is one octave ("Oct" meaning 8 -- you jumped "8 notes" [whole steps]). Same note, just a higher pitched version. You can keep singing "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So..." over and over again at successively higher pitches, starting at the "Do" you ended with. Each "Do" you encounter is the same note, just a higher pitched version. So, by starting the song an octave up, on a higher "Do," you haven't changed the key the song is in. If you started in the key of F, F happens to be "Do" for Twinkle Twinkle (the first note of the melody happens to be the same as the key it's in). An octave up is "F" ("Do") as well. An octave up from there is still an "F". You're still starting on an "F" no matter which F on the keyboard you start with. You can see it visually on a keyboard: http://www.music-mind.com/Music/Srm0038.GIF (Count 7 white notes up from any of the white notes and you'll encounter the same letter. You haven't changed "key" because you're not starting the song on a different note letter.) With regards to vocal range measurement, you can do it yourself with a piano, or find a choral music director to help. Here are instructions from "ehow.com": http://www.ehow.com/how_13671_find-vocal-range.html With regard to "note quality," check out this pertinent link: http://www.answers.com/topic/vocal-range Depending on where your low note starts and ends, a vocal range of 3.7 can cover more than the average ranges spanning from bass to Soprano (E2 to A5 on the following link from New Harvard dictionary). See this link for details: New Harvard Dictionary at Yale http://www.library.yale.edu/cataloging/music/vocalrg.htm A voice that can span that range would be considered versatile. Can you extend your vocal range? Some claim you can. People sell lessons on how to do it. However, I've never personally encountered anyone who's done it. Book: Complete Expanding Your Range http://www.singers.com/instructional/tapes.html SingingSuccess http://www.SingingSuccess.com/ Singing Lessons http://www.singinglessons-improveyourvocalrange.com/ Here's Part 1 of an article on it http://www.singeruniverse.com/devaexpandingvocalrange1.htm Feel free to ask for any additional clarification or information you may need prior to rating this answer. Thank you, jbf777 Researcher Google Answers --- Note: (1) This assumes the bass line is also moving by the same amount as well, which is the case most of the time when you're changing melody into different keys. Generally speaking, the lowest/first note of the bass line determines the key you're in. Select sources: Capistrano School http://www.empire.k12.ca.us/capistrano/Mike/capmusic/modes/modes.htm Circle of 5th's http://www.earsense.org/Earsense/WTC/aboutcircle.html