Carols with the family: how to choose a key for singing

The guitar arrives, everybody starts “Cicha Noc”, and after a moment someone says: “No, I cannot manage that high.” Do you know that situation? Even a well-practised carol can turn out awkward to sing. That is why, before playing together, it is worth checking the key.

This is the last lesson of our course. We will try to prepare a few carols so that at the table you can simply open the words and sing together. You do not need the whole repertoire for that. To start, pick the songs that are easiest for you to play.

What does the key actually change?

After a key change the melody stays the same; you only sing it higher or lower. The chords change too, so the guitar fits that new pitch. The tempo stays the same: lowering the key does not mean slower playing.

Pick Cicha Noc and try singing the first verse. If the highest notes are too hard, lower the key. If the low notes are so low that you can barely hear them, try a higher one. Check both ends of the melody, because a comfortable start does not always mean a comfortable whole.

How do you check this in the app?

Once you are logged in, open the song and press “Key” under the title. Pick a neighbouring key, listen to the backing and sing the same fragment again. Screenshots of that setting are in the first lesson.

You do not have to sing the whole carol every time. Compare a short fragment that was too high, then check the lowest place. If both are more comfortable, try the whole verse.

After the change, look at the chords and any capo hint. They may be different from the ones you have used so far. First play them slowly, so you are not judging how comfortable the singing is while a new grip takes all your attention.

And if everybody wants something different?

One person will be more comfortable high, another low. You will not always find a key that suits everyone equally. Try two neighbouring versions and pick the one in which most people can sing freely.

It may also turn out that you sing the same melody, but some people an octave lower or higher. That is fine; you still fit the same chords. You do not have to force everyone to sing at the same pitch.

For such a try, someone from the household is enough. Play a bit and ask simply: “Is this all right, or a little lower?” It is easier to settle that with a guitar than to guess earlier whether everybody will like C major.

Write down the settings that work for you

When you find a comfortable version, write the carol title, the key and the capo fret if you use one. It is also worth writing the grips. A note that only says “Cicha Noc, fifth fret” may tell you little in a few days.

Do you remember the two versions from the lesson on “Cicha Noc”? C, G and F without a capo, and G, D and C with a capo at the fifth fret, both fit the same key of C major. That is a good example of why it is worth writing the key, the grips and the capo separately.

If you prefer a sheet, open chord-sheet printing in the song view. Before you print, check in the preview that you see the chosen chords and the words you will sing from. You can add the capo setting at the top.

Also agree which verses you sing

The first verse everybody usually remembers. At the second, some people already glance at their neighbour 😄. Prepare the words and agree how many verses you want to sing. If you use different sheets, check that they have the same words and the same verse order.

Before you start you can play a short intro or hum the beginning, so the others know at what pitch to come in. Also agree who starts singing. You do not all have to come in perfectly together at once.

If someone forgets the words or mixes up a verse, try playing on. And if you all get lost, you can simply start the fragment again. This is a shared evening, so a single slip does not have to end the carol.

Choose the carols for your evening

You can start with Wśród nocnej ciszy, then play Cicha Noc, and if you feel like it add Bóg się rodzi. Check each one separately, because a comfortable key in one carol does not have to fit the next.

And that is the whole course! We started from two chords, and along the way came new grips, the waltz, the capo and the singing. Not everything has to work every time yet. Go back to the lesson that helps you most, practise with the app, and try playing someone one carol from start to finish.