Open Mic changed my voice register

[Mandobart]

When you first wake up your voice is lower, but your "comfortable key/range" to sing in goes up as the day wears on and everything warms up. Lots of songs I can belt out like Johnny Cash in the morning I have to switch to Tim O'Brien by evening.

[icuker]

I agree with Mandobart's post. I practice church songs on Saturday night and then come Sunday morning, the key just ain't right.

[tdq]

Update - kind of - for those following this thread. Yes, I had practised it standing up, and yes, it was definitely the same key I had practised in. In hindsight, what I think happens was, I was a bit nervous, belted out the first lines a bit wobbly, panicked and dropped a whole octave. (I had sung it once before in public - it was a spur of the moment thing, unrehearsed - and it was definitely the wrong key that time so I think I'd spooked myself)
So in the end, my advise to myself is relax, practice some more, do some more open mics. Obvious, really

[Silly Moustache]

Surely the OP rehearsed at home singing and playing moderately so as not to frighten the horses, then when in front of an audience - used his lungs to sing to the crowd, and discovered that he needed to bring that capo up a couple of frets.

I've been singing and playing for a few decades now and after throat cancer my singing voice has lowered significantly and my range has decreased - so I have had to lower my repertoire by at least one full tone.

I b'lieve the late great Leonard Cohen experienced (at least) this on his last world tour and had some strange sort of guitar tuned considerably lower than normal.

Always best to rehearse at full vocal power.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Surely the OP rehearsed at home singing and playing moderately so as not to frighten the horses, then when in front of an audience - used his lungs to sing to the crowd, and discovered that he needed to bring that capo up a couple of frets.

I've been singing and playing for a few decades now and after throat cancer my singing voice has lowered significantly and my range has decreased - so I have had to lower my repertoire by at least one full tone.

I b'lieve the late great Leonard Cohen experienced (at least) this on his last world tour and had some strange sort of guitar tuned considerably lower than normal.

Always best to rehearse at full vocal power.

I completely agree, Andy - and that’s precisely what I said in post #2.

I reckon us Boomers musta learned something during the 50+ years we’ve been playing and singing in public!

[Woolbury]

I also have a pretty limited vocal range, and I find on a couple tunes I re harmonize a couple lines to fit my range better. So I'm not changing the key, but simply singing a line or two a bit differently than the tune I'm covering. Sometimes I miss this change and it comes out a bit thin and strained, other times I surprise my self with my new powers I need to spend more time with my singing...