I just put the songs in keys that suit my voice, and don’t worry about matching the recordings.
Something else you might consider is looking into getting a baritone guitar. I’ve got one that I tune from B to B with the intervals between the strings the same as on standard guitar. What that means in practical terms is that the notes on the baritone are the same as standard guitar if I capo at the fifth fret.
I never capo there because what’s the point, right? But if I capo at the fourth fret that puts the baritone at a half step lower than standard, capo three gives me a full step lower, and so forth.
In effect this gives me a “negative capo,” all the way down to the nut, where playing a G formation gives me a D natural chord.
One song that I like to sing at capo three is the old Turtles song “Happy Together,” which I can sing in the original key of A minor if I’m really warmed up. But putting the capo on the baritone at the third fret allows me to sing it a step down in G minor while still playing the A minor chord formations and playing the riff that goes with it.
So a baritone guitar might be something for you to consider.
Just a thought...
Wade Hampton Miller
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