How to change the key of a song to sing it
Updated · 2 min read
If a song sits too high or too low for your voice, move it. Extractune shifts a song's key up or down without changing its speed, and can take the original vocals out, so you can sing it where it suits you.
Change the key, step by step
- 1Open extractune.com/extract and pick the song: a video or an audio file.
- 2Tap Extract audio, then Split audio.
- 3When the split is ready, tap Open the studio.
- 4Tap Key down or Key up. Each tap moves the song one semitone, up to 6 either way, and the speed stays the same.
- 5Press play and sing along. Tap Original speed and key to go back.
How far to move it
One semitone is the smallest step, the distance between two neighbouring keys on a piano. Two or three down is usually enough to bring a high song into comfortable range; if you need more than five or six, try singing it an octave lower instead, which keeps it sounding natural.
Find your key
Play the highest part of the chorus and sing along. If you're straining, tap Key down and try again; if the low verse disappears into a mumble, tap Key up. Settle on the shift where both the top and bottom of the song feel easy, then practise the whole thing there.
Note the number you land on. If you ever sing it with a band or a keyboard player, telling them "two semitones down" is all they need to play it in your key.
Use it for instruments too
Changing key isn't just for singers. Guitarists can match a song to an open tuning or a capo position they know, horn and string players can move a song into a friendlier key, and anyone learning by ear can hear the same song in the key their sheet music is written in.
Sing it as karaoke
In the studio, turn the voice down to zero to sing over the band alone, or keep a little of it as a guide while you learn the words. The download uses the key you've set, so you can take the new version with you.
Good to know
You'll need the song as a file: a video you filmed or saved, or an MP3, M4A or WAV, up to 500MB. The first split downloads the separation engine once (about 172MB), so do it on Wi-Fi. Splits run up to 5 minutes at a time where the browser can use the graphics chip, and 2 where it can't.
Big shifts change the character of a voice more than of instruments, so a guide vocal moved 6 semitones can sound odd; the instruments hold up better. Everything runs on your device, and the key resets when you close the studio.