Good grief. You people really know how to rain on a man’s parade. I think the writer of this article has been more than kind to you complainers. Give it rest and go be Angry old men and women somewhere else. This article doesn’t perpetuate any confusion. Of course you can change the key of any song. You can change the gender. You can change the meaning. You can rewrite the lyrics. You can change the notes. It’s messages like Mel Johnson’s that waste everyone’s times. How about writing an article of your own Mel? Then the rest of us can bash every word you say.

If that is the case, then just because they’re singing about being in love with a woman doesn’t mean that these songs are “for Males” – if you can put it into any key then it can be sung by anyone. The content doesn’t preclude someone who doesn’t identify as “Male” from singing it.

I think it’s very important to perform songs in show key. A song in a show is crafted to produce a certain effect using the characteristics of the human voice as a tool. A soprano song that goes up to an A creates one effect; transposing it down to an E another; and it may as well be another song entirely if it’s being used to demonstrate an alto’s low range. The key is far from arbitrary.

Hi Mel, thanks for your opinion. True, we suppose any song can be changed, many things are relative like that. There is something to be said with performing a song as it was written and/or a song that many have heard performed in our respected range. Maybe from parts that we admire and aspire to playing one day. The big point to this article was to give baritones new audition song ideas. Many had asked us to do something like this because they were tired of singing the same songs. We think actors want new ideas and directors don’t mind them either. Thanks for your input!