I remember a little while ago there was a discussion on playing in the key of some guests who decide they want to sing on stage while you're playing. Just how does one go about determining the key someone sings in? I don't even know mine! All I know is that I have a soft, baritone voice. I realize this is a little off beat, but I am just curious.

Thanks
Peter

It totally depends on the song, plus the voice range of the singer. There is no easy way to "know", but it does get a little easier after several years experience.
Once I know what key a singer does one song, I can relate that to the key in which I do the song, and can transfer that knowledge to any more songs the singer might do. As a start, ask them to sing a few notes of the song without music. Then raise it a key or two and try it there. If you find the key isn't correct, there's not much to do but either modulate or stop and start over. This is best handled by joking with the audience about it, such as blaming the drummer for starting in the wrong key.
As far as determining your own key for a particular song, you will just have to practice, trying various keys until you find the one most comfortable.
As a rule, you can do ballads and soft songs a little lower, but high-energy songs sometimes call for a little "reaching" in order to get the right feel.
I know this doesn't help much, but until you determine your own keys for each song, I wouldn't even attempt to play for a guest!
DonM

That is exactly what I have found...and it works 90% of the time assuming the guest singer has any sense of rhythm and doesn't get tangled up in the lyrics.

At a luau last weekend I had a guy come out in a grass skirt wanting to sing Little Grass Shack. He told me he did it in the key of E. I started playing. He grovled trying to find the melody...then the Hawaiian lyrics tripped him up. What saved the performance was, his grass skirt unexpectedly fell off half way through the song. You think that stopped him? Nooooo! He continued singing trying to pull up his grass skirt...and the audience thought it was the best part of the night.
Eddie

Thanks for the information. I always wondered how someone knew what key to sing in. Looks as though one needs and ear for music and lots of experience. Thanks again.

Peter

I've always found that in general, songs played in Gm or F are the easiest to sing to. Cm is good if its a really low song. Z

Hello

I would have the "singer" sing his lowest and highest comfortable notes as a test. Once you know the range one can rather easily find what key to play in if one can look at the music and see what the highest and lowest notes are. If you are doing it by ear one should be able to at least approximate the highest and lowest.

Another quick test is to try in one key, lets say the key of C if it goes well, great, if not going up a fourth to F or to G (a fifth) will most often find a usable key quickly.

Scott Langholff