PitchShed
Two notes are enough
Find the highest note the melody reaches, usually in the last chorus. Then find the highest note you can sing there without strain. A piano, a keyboard app or any tuner app will name the notes. The distance between the two, counted in semitones, is how far the song has to come down.
How to count
Count every key on a piano, black ones included, as one semitone. From E down to C you pass E♭, D and D♭, and land on C: four semitones. So if the chorus peaks at an E and your comfortable top is a C, the answer is −4. If your comfortable top is an E♭, the answer is −1.
| The song peaks at | You reach comfortably | Set Key to |
|---|---|---|
| E | C | −4 |
| E | D | −2 |
| G | D | −5 |
| A | F | −4 |
The table takes the nearest note below the peak each time.
Setting it in the browser
Click the PitchShed icon and press − the number of times you counted. The display shows the shift, such as −4, and the song plays at that key straight away. Sing the chorus once to check. If the top still strains, take one more step; if the low notes of the verse have gone out of reach, go back one.
If you do not know the notes
Skip the counting and use your ear. Lower by one semitone at a time and sing the hardest part after each change. The number where it first feels easy is your number, and finding a comfortable key to sing in describes a routine for it.