Karaoke Forums

I tried to sing some karaoke for testing purposes, and I ran across some very nice songs from female artists, and as stupid as I am, I tried to sing them, turns out it's very difficult to sing those things because I think the female voices normally sings in a different key/note (w/e you call them, I'm sorry but I have no clue when it comes to reading music).

This is probably very confusing by now (I can't explain stuff well), so....
Just an example:

Rob Thomas: "lonely no more" is rated as key "A"

Kelly Clarkson: "a moment like this" rated as "A flat"

I figure they're close enough, but it doesn't work haha, and it's the same for all the female songs... I was wondering if there's anyone who sings female songs with male voices, do you guys have to change the keys? using the above example, I shifted the kelly clarkson song to -6 (i think that stands for 6 semitone (w/e that means)) and I felt that the music was easier to sing, but it sounded so "dull", is that why changing keys is not recommended?

If I have to; I change the key; up 2 steps and sing an octave lower.

Remember that the key is fairly meaningless when you don't know where the "meat" of the song lies in your tessitura. A lot of notes that I can hit are not places I want to spend all my time.

Songs in Bb, C, C#, D, and Eb tend to be good for me. But if they are hanging around the lower part of the clef, or the upper part, they may not be. Some songs in A I do fine on -- others I have to drop some.

I've sung a couple female songs.  If I (!1)like the song enough, and (2)no female is singing it, and (3)the lyrics work...   Over My Head by Fleetwood Mac and I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart by Ella Fitzgerald.   What I've been trying to do is get females to sing certain songs that I like by using phrases such as, "You should try this song, your voice is good for it!  I will guard your beer while you sing it!"

yeah, some songs are just crazy hard to determine the notes, I want to sing them but it's too dam hard when the original singers move up and down the scale because she can, obviously I can't haha. Most of the female singers have some crazy range, it's hard to sing their song with a crappy voice like mine.

Yeah, I adjust the key upwards slightly then sing an octave lower also.

Can sometimes give the song a totally different feel.

Raising the key and singing an octave lower works best most of the time.  Sometimes you do have to lower the key.

The reason for the two different approaches, which also answers your specific question about the difference between songs in the same key, has to do with the r-a-n-g-e of the song.  Females, typically, have a greater singing range.  Mariah Carey is reputed to sing 5 octaves, for example.

Now, even if a song covers more octaves than you can, doesn't mean that you can't rearrange the song to work for you.  Have fun!

for some reason shifting up feels weird for me, the music sounds too "sharp" IMO, most of the time I shift the key down (way down, like 4-5 semitone), the music get darker but it works better IMO.

I sing several female songs and I've tried shifting up but for whatever reason it's never worked for me. I always lower the key. On "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" I go down 3-4 half steps and I increase the tempo around 28%, Christina Aguilara "Beautiful" I go down 3 half steps, "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by the Manhattans I lower 3 half steps rather than sing falsetto like the original male vocalist does, there's a few more I can't think of right now. There are LOTS of songs that I lower the key at least one half step and many that I lower two half steps. The alternative is not singing them. I'd rather sing them.

I have a regular gal with a pretty thick alto voice who wanted to try "Snow Hey Oh" (RHCP) last Saturday. It was first round so we tried out a few things. Instead of having her sing with the track transposed down and her up an octave it worked out better taking the track up 2 and her singing it it in the correct octave. It actually sounded better than the guys who have tried this one. She's a decent singer.

I sing a few chick songs. It's just me being stupid (Me & U, 1 2 Step, etc). I have a pretty high voice so I don't transpose or sing down.

I had a gal stiff me on Harper Valley PTA one night.  I hadn't sang in a forever so I just started in on it, and damn near nailed it.  I think I can do Carrie Underpants' Before He Cheats too.  I'm a real macho guy otherwise.  :)

Funny you mention "Before He Cheats". I love that song and want to perform it, but my wife says I shouldn't.  Just typing this makes me realize I probably shouldn't sing it because of the lyrics.

Sing it like Rob Little if you're gonna do it. And.... here he is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oz8-kmW5QU&NR=1

Warning: Explicit lyrics.

What's funny is I love the music of the song, I don't care for the lyrics...

Sing songs in your range.  When people ask me for advice, I say sing a song you know and love, and pick the songs when your singing along in your car, you think it sounds alright.  If You're honest, you know when you sing along on the radio and it sounds like S**T, or if it sounds close.

I have a singer who sings songs of every genre, male and female.  He has little range, so he changes the key on most every song.  Therefore almost every song he sings sounds exeactly alike, nomatter what it is.

I know everyone wants to sing songs they like, but everyone sounds better when they sing songs in their range.  A man, or Woman, needs to know their limitations.

Felix The KJ

I absolutely do not agree. No way, no how.

There is a reason there is a key change knob or button. Singing only songs in each person's range would severely limit many, many singers and limit the selection available to them. If there wasn't the ability to raise and lower the key people would be begging for that feature to be invented. What is a shame is that many singers don't know that the key can be changed to help them sing a song and they strain to try to sing songs that aren't in their normal range.

Not taking advantage of this feature is foolish. I have heard people say they won't sing songs in a different key. They have this idea that they are somehow a purist and changing the key isn't something that should be done. I'm thankful that such a thing exists.

I'm not talking about lowering or raising the key so much that it distorts the music.

I don't remember if I take this up 2 or 4 and then go an octave down.
And I get lots of looks when the song first starts, but I change the words appropriately as well.

Take a look at Dolly Parton's "Why'd You Come In Here Lookin' Like That"
I've always thought it was really a guy's song.


One of several changes:
"...with your painted on jeans, all dressed up like a COWBOY'S dream, why'd you come in here looking like that"?

C'mon, what woman has every talked about a man wearing "painted on jeans"?

if i have to sing in my key, there will be no song to sing . I have no range, and i'm dam sure I don't have the range of the pro singers, so it's super hard (next to impossible) if I don't shift those keys.

1) Choose song by female singer
2) Take mic in left hand
3) With right hand - reach down between legs
4) Wait for first lyric to begin
5) With right hand - squeeze for all you're worth

[glow=blue]I'm female..and have the hardest time singing girl songs...guy songs i can do...must be my moustache. [/glow]

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