Quote:
Originally Posted by washy21
Hi all,
For those who sing and play I’m curious to hear others views on this:
Several years back I began, and continue to have, vocal lessons. It wasn’t long before I realized that a lot of the songs I play and sing were not in the right key for me. Sure, I could hit the notes but my teacher urged me to change the key to fit my voice. Moreover, he is an advocate that you should make songs your own rather than trying to mimic, others singing and playing. Obviously I realize that this is a personal opinion.
Anyway, I am a baritone with a good range and as soon as I started changing the keys, using a capo if needed, I really began to see improvements. A good example is ‘Yesterday’ by the Beatles. I have to play that in C but if I capo and play it in G (capo third fret actuall key Bb) I really opens up my voice.
So personally, what I once thought of as the baritone curse, turns out to be not such a bad thing.
On YouTube I see people who are hellbent on playing songs exactly as the original artist does but often they are clearly struggling vocal wise.
What do others do and what do you personally believe.
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I agree with your vocal coach. I capo all the time. I use a technique someone here mentioned, find the highest note in the song you are doing and make sure that the key will let you do that without straining. Then you see if lowering the pitch of the rest of the song makes it sound good or bad. Then, if it sounds bad at the lower pitch, dump it and move on.
I have to capo at the 8th fret to sing Steve Winwood's Arc of a Diver! I have to capo on the 7th to do Steely Dan's Do It Again. I capo on the 3rd fret for Woodstock by CSNY. I removed the 3rd fret capo for Thick as A Brick, which is the key that Ian Anderson used, I now perform it open. I had to capo to the 7th for Sarde's "Smooth Operator" and marginally made it work. I had to abandon Waiting for a Girl Like You by Foreigner....because his vocal range is so high that it sounded awful without his natural range.
Eventually I became a country singer given my range of high bass, an especially terrible singing key. But for Merle Haggard, Luke Bryant, Kenny Chesney and George Jones, it was fine. No Vince Gill for me however!
Hope this helps.