Figuring Out the Right Key to Sing a Song In

This is something that is more important to vocalists than you would think.  Practicing basic vocal technique and knowing the words and melody of a song are all things that you should be doing to prepare for a performance. However, knowing what key you should sing a song in (whether the key is too high or low) can also make or break a great performance of a song. If you're not singing in the right key, you can become nervous, overcompensating in other parts of your body--this can lead to not only intonation issues, but injury from strain as well.

1. Practice & Experiment 
In order to know what key you should sing a song in, you should have a general idea and comfortability with your range. I say "comfortability," because some singers that I have come across can give you the exact starting and ending pitches of their range, but have never actually sang through their whole range. In order to know and feel that, you should be practicing scales and singing songs that utilize different parts of your range regularly; both on your own and with a vocal instructor.  If your goal is to expand your range, then practice exercises and songs that push you to expand that range. If you are very comfortable singing in the lower part of your range and you want to show it off  during performances, practice exercises  and songs that strengthen that part of your range. Point is, practice, so that you are comfortable enough to know what feels wrong and right with your voice.

2. Try the Song in Different Keys
Knowing the range of your voice, you can then test out several different keys for a song that you are learning. I would encourage you to learn the melody of the song like the back of your hand first so that you can easily move the whole melody up or down a half-step and sing through it, instead of having to re-learn the entire melody when you change the key (I, unfortunately, have made this mistake several times).  A great tool to aide in this is the program, iReal Book--or iReal b, as many call it--which has a feature that lets you pick a certain key and it plays through the song chart for you so you can sing along. It's available for iPad or iPhone too, so you can even be on-the-go while you practice!

I would also encourage you to keep two of the keys for that one song memorized. The lower key may allow you to belt the melody at certain points (if you are able to do so without strain), giving the performance a different character than, say, a higher key, which could change the overall timbre of your voice entirely. I know several vocalists who have recorded songs in the studio in a higher key so that they can give a "wow" performance for the recording, and then sing it in a lower key during live shows for loyal fans. The more strategies you have that can aide you in connecting with your audience in different ways, the better.

I hope that this helps in trying to find the right key for a song. This is always the hardest step in the song-learning process for me because I always feel like I might have picked the wrong key to sing the song in. Remember to also have fun. Music allows you to connect with people and ultimately, whatever key you sing a song in, if you're enjoying yourself, everyone around you will truly appreciate your performance too.

#OnRepeat: Ed Motta's "Dried Flowers"

This week I've had Ed Motta's "Dried Flowers" #OnRepeat. I was first introduced to Motta's music during my undergrad years at UC San Diego, but have just recently within the past two years  revisited his music, and this is one of his songs that I just can't stop listening to.

Eduardo "Ed" Motta is a MPB, rock, soul music, funk, and jazz musician from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.   He is the nephew of the late, Brazilian soul singer, Tim Maia (someone I researched and wrote about while working on my thesis). Although Ed is mostly known for his voice, he is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and arranger; having recorded all of the instrument parts for several of his albums by himself and recording many of his original compositions. He has composed for several Brazilian films and has toured throughout the United States and Europe.

I had the great pleasure of meeting Ed Motta and being able to watch him perform live. Ed is an extensive collector of records and it is apparent in his writing and singing. Some of his other songs, like "Manuel," are throw-backs to R&B and Pop music of the late 1980's and 1990's.  Each album that you listen to is so dramatically different, yet Motta's powerful vocals and writing style creates a unifying theme--almost a stamp--signifying that you're listening to something written by Ed Motta. "Dried Flowers" is no different. I really appreciated in this song how the melody reflected the emotions conveyed in the lyrics and vice versa. Motta's ability to write catchy melodies on top of great instrumental arrangements will always make him one of my favorite singers from Brazil. Take a listen below:

Do you guys have any new musicians or groups to listen to? Let us know in the comments below!

#OnRepeat: Adele "Make You Feel My Love"

This week, I've had Adele's version of the song, "Make You Feel My Love," #OnRepeat. I know many of you out there have been listening to Adele for awhile now, but Adele is quite literally one of those singers that I keep circling back to because of her songwriting and her voice.

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, or Adele, is a British singer/songwriter, whose music blends Soul, Country, Rock, Pop and Funk.  Some of her most well-known songs are "Rolling in the Deep,""Hometown Glory,"and the song, "Skyfall," for which she received several awards.

The song, "Make You Feel My Love," is actually a song originally written by Bob Dylan for his 1997 album, Time Out of Mind, and has been recorded by others such as Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, and Trisha Yearwood.  The song, though written with the common love theme, has very simple, yet emotive lyrics and Adele's performance brings out the "bareness" of the words.  Although guitar accompaniment typically makes a song sound more intimate, I appreciate the fact that there are only piano and strings in this arrangement. Adele's voice offers the intimate, raw sound that the piece calls for while the piano and strings give the song more of a "grand" feel. Listen below:

You can hear clear influences in Adele's voice--Sam Cooke, Etta James, Ella Fitzgerald and at the same time, Pink, Spice Girls and even hints of Destiny's Child--yet she still has her own unique sound. Although I haven't heard much from Adele recently, I'll let songs like "Make You Feel My Love" tide me over until she comes out with another album or song.

Do you guys have a new musician, group or song you can't stop listening to? Let us know in the comments below!

#OnRepeat: Bruno Mars' "Treasure"

This week #OnRepeat is Bruno Mars' "Treasure." I know that this song has been out now for some time, but I have to bring this one out and dust it off, so to speak.

The music for the song, "Treasure," has a very throw-back feel to it, and truth-be-told, this song is what really made me start to take notice of Bruno Mars. The lyrics talk about a guy who absolutely adores this girl, which doesn't really set the song apart from anything else that you would hear out there; however the musical arrangement and melody makes the song very catchy. He had great hits before this--"Count On Me," "Just the Way You Are," "Locked Out Of Heaven"--but they just didn't have the same pull for me like this song.

One of the main things that was so appealing about, "Treasure," was the music video itself. You can see the clear influence of the Jackson Five, with the dancing and cinematography, but you can also see influences of Earth, Wind, and Fire (matching outfits, singing lovingly at the camera and including a full "band" in the video). This song is also one of the very first songs that features Mars' voice; you start to hear subtleties in his voice that allude to his influences. The raspy, funk-like quality is reminiscent of James Brown while his vocal timbre and melodic choices reflect Michael Jackson. Have a listen below:

Do any of you guys have a Bruno Mars song that is reminiscent of another musician or group out there? Let us know in the comments below!

#OnRepeat: "Dos Gardenias" Omara Portuondo

This week #OnRepeat is Omara Portuondo's version of the bolero, "Dos Gardenias." This song is actually more well-known for Ibrahim Ferrer, another singer from the Buena Vista Social Club, however, I love Omara's interpretation of this song and her deep, expressive voice, so I had to share this one with all of you.

Omara Portuondo is a singer and a dancer from Cuba and was one of the original members of the singing group, Cuarteto d'Aida. She has performed with groups and musicians such as Nat King Cole,  Los Van Van, Adalberto Álvarez, and Ignacio Piñeiro. Some of her most well-known songs are "Hasta Siempre, Comandante," "Siguamos Amantes" and "Donde Estabas Tu."

"Dos Gardenias" is a song speaking about a person giving these flowers--gardenias--to their  significant other as a representation of their love (conversation, affection). Towards the end of the song, there is an almost poignant, heart-breaking lyric that says that if those flowers were to die, it would be because they have sensed that there is someone else; or in other words, that that couple's love has died. It is a beautiful song--you don't find much music out there anymore with lyrics like this that can depict such emotion in a great, story-like arc. Here is a excerpt of the lyrics below:

Dos gardenias para ti
Con ellas quiero decir
Te quiero, te adoro, mi vida
Ponle todas tu atención
Que serán tu corazón y el mio

Dos gardenias para ti
Que tendrán todo el calor de un beso
De esos besos que te di
Y que jamas te encontrarán
En el calor de otro querer [ . . . ]

Omara displays this passionate story in such a simplistic way, that she makes it look easy. Her melodic choices with each phrase, though, are intentional and work with the flow of lyrics and harmony. Her performance style and her vocal timbre has made me an avid fan for several years now, so much so that I compare other new vocalists' performance style with her own. I've included a YouTube video of Omara singing "Dos Gardenias" and "Besame Mucho" from a concert she did with Maria Bethania, a singer from Brazil, just so you can get more of an idea of what her voice sounds like and how she performs. Check out the video:

Is there a musician or group who shines new light on an old standard for you? Let us know in the comments below!