the tessitura is the range , in this case , of a vocal part , within which most of the tones lie .
Let ’ s take a hypothetical melody I ’ ve created , and assume that it spans the entire range of a song . I ’ ll call this “ Song # 1 ” just to give us a point of reference .
Now , the range or tessitura I ’ ve used for this song is literally a Perfect 4 th , from C to F . This is a very small tessitura , perhaps one of the smallest there could be for a song , especially since a lot of songwriters will utilize higher notes for greater artistic impact . Nevertheless , a Perfect 4 th could be the complete range of a song .
Now , let ’ s look at another hypothetical melody I ’ ve created , one that has a much larger range . Here ’ s what I ’ ll call “ Song # 2 .”
Here , I ’ ve created a vocal melody that spans 2 whole octaves . I ’ ll admit that this is a bit on the extreme end as song ranges go , but I ’ ve encountered participatory worship songs that meet these criteria , or at least come close in range .
Now , both of these songs I ’ ve just demonstrated are currently in C Major . One spans a Perfect 4 th . The other spans a perfect 15 th . Let ’ s say that someone wants to play Song # 1 in D Major , instead of C Major . The key of D is a Major 2 nd above the key of C . But does that mean that Song # 1 in D now has higher notes in the melody than Song # 2 , still in C ? I think you know the answer . Nope .
What if I transposed Song # 1 up to the key of E , or even the key of G ? Will I sing higher than the melody in Song # 2 in C ? Still nope . Even in the key of G , the highest note of Song # 1 is a C , which is still a perfect 5 th below the highest note of Song # 2 if it is still in C . Song # 1 has a long way to go before it catches up to Song # 2 in terms of register . Why ? Because Song # 2 has a much wider tessitura .
Let ’ s observe a couple things about these two songs . First , Song # 1 provides us with some advantages . It can easily be transposed to a lot of different keys and still be what I ’ d call “ singable .” People with limited vocal ranges in your congregation could lock into this melody and have very little trouble accessing these notes .
But as for Song # 2 – watch out ! A range of two octaves is a thing to be respected , and perhaps feared . If I start moving this song up by even a few steps , the top high G can easily become a high B or C , which is really high for the untrained male voice .
It ’ s worth our time to discover what the range is of every song we lead or even present in front of a group of people .
This benefits vocalists the most . Typically , the bass player doesn ’ t have a strong feeling about the key . The drummer certainly doesn ’ t either . Remember , your congregation isn ’ t filled with bass players or drummers – they ’ re predominantly vocalists .
So that ’ s some wisdom for how to find a song ’ s ideal key . Once you have a better grasp of the vocal range you want to stay in , your charts can be adjusted to accommodate the new keys that you ’ ll need play in . And that ’ s a great place to be .
© GuitarSuccess4U . All rights reserved . David Harsh David Harsh is a nationally touring worship leader , songwriter and performing artist . He helps beginning and returning guitarists find a clear path to guitar success with his revolutionary approach . Learn more and join at www . GuitarSuccess4U . com .