The key in which you write a song often occurs randomly. You happen to start on a ‘G’ chord… so it’s in ‘G’. Sometimes this turns out to be a good key to continue in. But sometimes, later in the writing process, the choice of key can get you in trouble.

A common example: I find myself well into the writing of a new song and I discover that the Chorus is low in my voice and the Verse is higher. Often this isn’t what I want – more frequently (not always) the Chorus works better when it’s higher than the Verse.

To deal with this I try changing the key, sometimes by as much as a 4th or a 5th. This reverses the low-high situation. Sometimes this solves the problem – the range of the Chorus melody is now higher than the Verse and it’s still singable.

Anther typical example is when the lowest notes of a song are too low for me (and other singers) to sing, or the high notes are too high. If both are true then I’ve really got a problem – the melody range may just be too wide for most singers (including me!).

But if only one of these are true – low notes too low, or high notes too high – I try raising or lowering the key I’m writing in. (Since I usually write with a guitar, I often slide a capo around to experiment with other tonalities.)

When I find a better key and I’m sure I want to change, I learn the song and play it in the new key. (Later on, if I perform or record the song, especially with a band, the key can change again.)

If I raise or lower the key and everything sounds fine, the issue is often resolved. If it isn’t, I have to ask myself if this needs to be a song that only singers with unusually wide ranges can sing. If not, I have to narrow the melody’s range.

Sometimes you think you’re having a melody problem, but that may not be the case. It might be a key problem.

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