Keys of songs, chords and singing

I dont really understand how this ties together, so would appreciate any and all input here ...

If I am playing a song in the key of C, that's on a uke tuned to C right and no capo used... as far as I understand it that means I should be singing in C as well. That's troubling, because how the heck is one supposed to know in what key you are singing ? Up until now I havnt worried and just sung as "sounded right". So how do I identify which key that I sing in, and is it only possible to sing in C? What happens if I sing in B or D? Can I lower the C to an octave lower?

Lots of questions here, but I have zero musical background and most videos and texts online seem to presume a certain level of knowledge and thus they fly right over my head.

Another question, related to the tunings of ukes, can one play a song in D with a ukulele tuned to C without the use of a capo?

Does this post make any sense? I am not sure, but then again I am confused over this matter ...

Thanks!

Basically, the key of a song/tune tells you what notes/chords will be used in it.

I think your uke is a C6 chord with all open strings, but if you hold down the 3rd fret of the A string & strum, you will strum a C chord. Likewise, if you hold down the 1st fret of the E string together with the 2nd fret of the G string & strum you will be strumming an F chord.

If you check out keys of tunes/songs, the musical notation will often have a # (sharp) or a b (flat) next to the stave ( the funny looking thing at the start of the first line of notation).
http://musicmattersblog.com/wp-files/KeySignatureChart.pdf

Does that help at all?

Edit: This chart shows how they relate to each other. http://ezfolk.com/uke/Tutorials/1four5/music-theory/key-chord-chart/key-chord-chart.html

Thanks for your input Keith!

Actually, that bit I do get. What I dont get is what it means to sing something in a particular key, or how to even realise and/or identify which key I am singing in. If I'm doing it wrong then I need to know so I can adjust accordingly.

CML -- you are probably OK. You don't return a piano to sing in a particular song key. Your chords and chord progressions will simply change. Try doing some research on the Circle of Fifths -- that might help you out. You'll keep your ukulele c6 tuning. Play different chord progressions for songs in different keys. For me singing in the key of C is a little high, so I might transpose to the key of G.

Some players -- like guitar players, will retune their instruments of the different key bu that is a whole different story.

Aloha!

Not always, but often the first or last chord will be the key of a song. If you are playing a song in C, you do have to sing in C or if you put a capo on, it will raise the key a 1/2 for each fret up you place it. I can only rarely sing in C. G or A is most often best, so I will either capo up several frets or just transpose to the key I want. So that C,Am,F, G progression, for example, becomes G,Em,C, D, when you change the key from C to G. Hope that helps.

Bunnyf and Siauke
Sure, that helps with the uke part. But how do I determine what I'm singing in and/or can sing in ? That's the most confusing part to me.
I've just been winging it so far, with no complaints from the wife or my baby daughter. But alas, they are probably not the most critical of audiences !

to me, if the song is played in the key of F, we'll all be singing in the key of F, playing F, Bb, C7 and other chords related to the Key of F.
the above statement will be still be true if you change all the F's to another key name like C, G, D, A, etc. of course the 3 chords I listed for the key of F (F, Bb, C7) would change based on the key you choose to play in. Key of C will use (C, F, G7), Key of G will use (G, C, D7), etc.
See the Boot Camp below for Practice Sheets showing some of the more used chords in the Keys of C, F, G, A, and D.

It doesn't matter how your uke is tuned. if you play the appropriate C chord on each and every differently-tuned uke, they will all sound like "C". I'm NOT talking about finger position, as in 0003. If you play the same fingering on each differently-tuned uke, you will be playing different chord names related to the actual tuning of the uke you're playing.

so if you have a Soprano, Concert or Tenor uke tuned to C6 open (GCEA) and a Baritone uke tuned (DGBE) you can BOTH be playing in the Key of C, if you finger the chord correctly according to the tuning, but on the Soprano, Concert and Tenor your C will be 0003, and on the Baritone your C will be formed 2010.

Songs are generally written and played in one key. and everyone who wants to play and sing along, will be singing and playing in that key,
regardless of how their ukes are tuned. If there are ukes in 5 different tunings, they can all play together in the key of C, if each player plays the C chord properly on their ukes. It's like a choir of men and women with various vocal ranges and quality of voice. they can all sing the same note, but the men won't sound like the women (mostly) and vice-versa. In fact some men won't sound like the other men, mostly, and the same for a woman to woman comparison. But they could all be singing the 'same' note.

Anyway, if it's important for you to know what key you're singing in, generally, if it's Western music, look for the last chord you'll be playing. Most Western music resolves to the root note, which also gives the name of the Key. end in C, most likely you were playing in the key of C, etc.

I hope this helps.

keep uke'in',

Thanks Rod, lots of really good info there for us new to music. But what stops a person from singing something in C when it's written in G? Maybe I am missing something here and it comes automatically but to me it's all rather confusing. I mean, I can sing the same song high or low? Or is that only lowering the octave, and the key stays the same automatically maybe?

cml said:

Bunnyf and Siauke
Sure, that helps with the uke part. But how do I determine what I'm singing in and/or can sing in ? That's the most confusing part to me.
I've just been winging it so far, with no complaints from the wife or my baby daughter. But alas, they are probably not the most critical of audiences !

Click to expand...

When I try a new song, I play it in its original key and sing along to hear if I'm comfortable singing in that key. Sometimes I can tell from the get go that it's too high for me. I strum those first few chords and try to sing along and I just can't hit the right notes. Other times, I will be doing fine but when I get to the chorus, it just gets too high. What I do then is to start with the capo on the first fret and try singing it again. I keep doing this, moving up the capo until my voice and my playing sync. Then, I will either transpose the chords (easy enough) or if the chords are too unfamiliar (or don't like the voicing) or difficult in that new key, I will capo. I will I will note on my chord sheet which key I like and where I'm putting the capo. I try to not capo for the most part. I find it more comfortable to play uncapoed. The capo can get in the way of my hand in some chord positions. So, when possible, I transpose.

One suggestion. Learn to play the melody. That will give you the notes that you are singing. If in c major (C,dm,em,F,G(7),am, bdim (m7-5) for example, and are singing only the notes in the c major scale (any of these c,d,e,f,g,a,b) then you are singing in c major.
This is a very general explanation. Some chord progressions could be in multiple keys, or there could be passing notes, etc.

Don't know if this helps.

Do a search for "Key Chord Chart".
The Key is the relationship of the chords. In C means you start at C and (generally) play F-and G as the primary chords harmonically. That is the 1st, 4th and fifth cords in the key. If you use a Key of E then you use the E-A-B as a sequence. The chords in a key add flats and sharps to keep the same harmonic steps between the notes/chords. It's not real complicated except to learn.

Howlin Hobbits progressions (up in the stickies for Resources) has a pretty good explanation, and shows the progressions used in most songs. I still don't understand the logic of the minors in some keys but my Key Chord Chart shows them and and it makes 'sense' to my ear if not my intellect?

I think I understand what you're saying. When I started I'd just play what was written and sing along. Someone finally told me I Was singing in a different key. huh? Sounded okay to me. I was hitting the right notes on the uke. I finally asked someone more knowledgeable than me what key I was singing in. The Daily Uke books have the start note. I pluck that and try to match it. I now always have the start note to a song. I think you'll find you can sing in more than one key. If you're playing everyone's singing along or by yourself and the uke sounds out of tune, you are probably in another key. Good luck

cml said:

Thanks Rod, lots of really good info there for us new to music. But what stops a person from singing something in C when it's written in G? Maybe I am missing something here and it comes automatically but to me it's all rather confusing. I mean, I can sing the same song high or low? Or is that only lowering the octave, and the key stays the same automatically maybe?

Click to expand...

I am no music theorist, but you'll know if you are singing in the right key if your vocal melody lines don't clash with what you are playing. Unless a person is literally tone deaf and cannot discern or differentiate between notes or chords (and there are people with this affliction, in which case they aren't likely to be singing and playing an instrument) you should be able to hear if your vox go along with your playing in any particular song.

You can sing higher or lower, but still in the same key. This would be singing in a higher or lower "register." As you say, this just means singing an octave above or below whichever key is in question.

At base, though--just have fun and don't overthink all this. You'll know when you are off. Play and sing your heart out!

You can hear right away when you strum those first chords and try to sing along, if you are not in the right key, vocally. That's when you need to think about changing the key you are playing in.

I want in on this discussion. I love it--as a music teacher. One of my favorite far side cartoons is this one (hopefully you can see the words...it is what came up quickest on my Duck Duck Go search):

http://www.mybass.dk/Grafik/GL11.jpg

Music theory has all kinds of influence on musicians, and the subject of key and tonic and pitch and range is complicated.

As others have noted, your ukulele is roughly in the Key of C (provided that it is a soprano, concert, or tenor, or not tuned roughly to D). The exception in the "roughly" is the final string, which is an A.

So when you play chords, songs in the Key of C (Major) or Key of a minor have the most chords with open strings, which usually means a richer tone, and often (due to poor ukulele set-ups that cause instruments to go out of tune when fretted) more in tune.

I you are sticking to four chord songs (see the Ukeoke app, for example), many songs can be played in C or a minor with a handful of chords with only a few fingers.

And you are 100% right--a capo can simply change the entire instrument to another key without having to learn alternative chords. In the player's mind, particularly if they don't read music, everything can be played in the Key of C, even though in reality it might be D. There's no shame in this--lots of guitar players did this, and even the great Irving Berlin only played the black keys on the piano and thus had transposing pianos created.

If you have made it this far, check out these YouTube videos showing a cool Andorid piano tour their latest ad campaign (follow the in-video links for a "making of" video)

http://youtu.be/xLhJIFC8xkY

Now...in reality, a large majority of people don't read music or understand theory, because they learn music by ear. They might read chords off a sheet, and read lyrics, but they use their musical intelligence to add the melody line. True, The Daily Ukulele includes the music--but I would guess that most people don't even read the music itself (playing in some ukulele play-alongs out of that book have verified this). Music generally flows to the "tonic" or home. Our ears hear that. And we know when we are wrong most of the time--but think about how many key-changing versions of the Star Spangled Banner you have heard. Ugh. But that is because they are usually unaccompanied, where the ukulele keeps you in key.

Most songs will end on the tonic, or the home key. But there are plenty of exceptions to that. A key signature (if you read music) can help you determine a key--but it is also common to modulate (go to another key) and it can be difficult to decipher where one key actually ends and the other begins--even after a key change.

I would simply suggesting asking about particular songs, from particular sources, if you don't know what key they are in. Even a song like Happy Birthday doesn't start on the tonic/home pitch of the scale--which is why The Daily Ukulele's starting pitch is a wonderful resource, even if people don't sing the rest of the song as printed.

And...it is good to learn as many chords as you can for each of the 12 half steps of a scale so that you don't have to rely on a capo--plus, with barre chords, you finger acts as a capo. But there are so many chords (major, minor, augmented, diminished, Dominant 7ths, Minor 7ths, Major 7ths, etc.) that for many folks, being able to play chords from their favorite book or chord website is good enough. And then there are different ways to play the ukulele that bring out both a melody and a chord at one time. So there is always something new to learn. Just try to learn something new every day, or every week. Eventually, you will have a huge variety of tools to work with.

ubulele said:

To Choirguy:

Irving Berlin's piano was fitted with a keyboard that could shift laterally, allowing him to play as if in F# while actually playing in any key he chose. As such, he could generally keep his mental orientation on the black keys. But his arrangements used complex chords and temporary modulations, so it's a misconception that he couldn't play in any other key or that he only used black keys (which would have been virtually impossible, even in F#, which still has two white keys in the scale). Being self-taught, he just probably thought of these digressions into other tonalities as still being basically "in F#." Although running a large music publishing house, he himself never learned to read or write music (excepting a very brief attempt around 1916) and instead relied on in-house transcribers and, later, a personal secretary.
http://www.straightdope.com/columns...ld-not-read-or-write-music-how-did-he-compose

Here's a video of Berlin briefly describing and playing on his first transposing piano:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO8VZoRw214

Click to expand...

That is the point that I was making with Berlin: the transposing piano acted like a capo, allowing him to play in any key while remaining mainly/mostly on the black keys of F# where he was comfortable composing and playing, just as many ukulele players are happy in the keys of C Major and a minor.

Here, cml, as a beginner you need simple explanations. Some folks will try to explain too much and confuse you more.

http://www.howlinhobbit.com/ukulele/

and https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1125378/ukulele docs/uke_chord_progressions.pdf

This will get you started on your musical adventure, beware of Dragons!

****
PS here is the link to joramy's Syllabus he just put up in a thread.

http://www.lakesidepress.com/UkeSyllabus.pdf

Really good stuff to get started with.

Some really good information in here, thank you UU for contributing, I think this thread will help more people than me!
Personally, I like alot of information . This thread has been quite enlightening, even if there is of course still things I dont understand. From reading here, I now get that because of the accompaniment you play on the uke, I will hear when I'm off. So if I play in a specific key, the singing will come "naturally". Thanks for that, because this was really the biggest issue I had; how to know which key I am singing in (not to confuse with "how to know which key to sing in", which I do get ).

Singing in the right key does not come naturally to everybody. There are a few things you might need to work on:

The ability to match pitch. When you hear a note (on the uke or piano or whatever) can you sing that note? Can you tell if your pitch is too high or low, and if so are you able to correct it? This can be tricky. Many people need a lot of practice before they can do it reliably. The worst part is, if you can't match pitch, you're probably unable to tell because you haven't trained your ear to hear the problem. A voice teacher can help. Or maybe you have a friend who's a pretty good singer and a patient person (that last part is important!) who can coach you.

Singing scales. Yes! Julie Andrews was right. Let's start at the very beginning. If you know you're supposed to be singing in the key of G, then sing a scale beginning on the note G: do, re, mi, fa... If the song's in a minor or blues key, then ideally you would sing that scale, but let's not get too complicated here.

Some people boast "I never practiced scales and I can sing" and that's fine. But you know what, a lot of them actually did sing scales (in the form of simple nursery songs) in kindergarten and elementary school. Not to mention warmup scales in a choir at some point in their lives. Most people do not learn to sing by magic but rather through many years of practice.

Look for complete instructions. Find tab that says what key it's in. Find tab (like Jim Beloff's books) that shows the starting note for singing. Find tab that has an accompanying video or CD you can sing along with. Find tab with standard music notation for the melody (assuming you or somebody who's helping you can read it). Singing in key is a new skill; while you're learning take advantage of all the extra guidance you can get.

Do not open your mouth until you have strummed through the chords for the entire song. The end of the song tells you more than the beginning. This is because, as mentioned earlier, many songs do not start on the root chord but they usually end there. If the last chord is a G then it's a good bet the song is in the key of G and the last note you sing is... G! Listen while you play the chords for the whole song and it's likely that by the time you reach the end, you'll be ready to sing on key.

COROLLARY 1: Be patient. If you don't know what pitch to sing, keep listening to the chords until you do... or else take a step back, figure out what key you're playing in and sing the scale up and down a few times, then play the chords again. If that doesn't work, take a break or try another song (preferably in the same key).

COROLLARY 2 (RANT): Lord, hear my lamentation that so often have I heard players strum a single chord and begin to sing, not noticing until halfway to the bridge that they are singing the wrong key. For verily it is a crapshoot to hit the right starting note from one chord only, and yet they do not play proper introductions nor do they listen to their ukuleles before singing and the ears are sore offended.

Give it time. It's funny how people spend hours, days, years learning how to play a little wooden box with strings... but they expect singing to just happen. I know too many people who've decided they can't sing when really they've never given themselves the chance. Find some online singing lessons, get a teacher, read books... whatever works for you. This all gets easier with practice.