Changing the Key

The key for tunes is set. We use the keys that the tunes were written in or are usually played in at sessions. Despite the fact that it makes little difference to a guitarist or banjo player if a tune is in A or G, it makes a very big difference to a fiddle, mandolin or bass player.

We have recorded the songs in the best key to suit the singer involved. The key of a song is very dependent on the singer, though it is rare for a song to be song in a wildly different key to that in which it was written. So, for example, a song in A may be sung in G, or Bb or B, a song in D sometimes in C or E. Women singers are the exception to this general rule, as their voices tend to have a completely different range.

It is possible to change the key of our mixes using, for example, the freeware programme Audacity. Please see the Help pages Audacity Download Player (click here) and Changing The Tempos (click here.). Use the option Change Pitch, where you can set the actual pitch (as detailed in the Lesson Notes) and the key you would like to change it to.

Be warned: The quality of the mixes deteriorates rapidly as you move away from the original key; the sound becomes wobbly and the vocals particularly start to sound ridiculous. Moving two steps is about as good as it gets ? a song in A going down to G or up to B.

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