How To Choose Songs For Beginner Singers (Female)

(Last Updated On: March 31, 2023)

In a musical world characterized by a mishmash of music genres and beautiful songs, how can you zero in on the right songs if you are a beginner female singer? Well, this may be one of the questions occupying your mind as an aspiring artist who wants to jumpstart their music career. Switching from one genre to another can significantly increase your song repertoire. But how can you know which music style and songs would fit your voice? 

What Makes a Song Easy for Female to Sing?

Singing the right songs, of course, can enable you to bring out the full potential of your voice. Besides, it will help you bring out your voice’s real color without straining your vocal cords. Nevertheless, the ease level of singing a song is relative and is dependent on several factors. Thus, it will help if you know these factors to help you select the right music piece for you:

1) Know Your Vocal Range and Type

As a beginner female singer, it will help if you know the range of your voice. You may intuitively know your vocal range by singing a range of songs. As you sing the highest note in a song, you will feel that you have reached the upper end of your vocal capacity once your voice starts to crack when trying to hit the high note. On the other hand, you will feel too the lowest note that you can sing well when you sing a song with low notes.

The vocal range, of course, is the range of pitches that you can phonate. Your vocal range plays a valuable role in classifying your voice. But the vocal range and vocal type are not the same. Nevertheless, voice types and vocal range are often confused and interchange with each other. Knowing your vocal range and your vocal type will help you choose songs that suit your voice well.

2) The Tessitura or Vocal Range of the Song

Tessitura is an Italian term that means texture in English. It is the most comfortable vocal range for you as a singer. It is the vocal range wherein you will sound best. It also refers to the arrangement of pitches in a song. So, if you know your vocal range, you don’t need to choose a music piece that contains notes beyond your vocal range. Tessitura also refers to the most often and consistently used notes in the Song or within your vocal range.

Of course, knowing your tessitura entails knowing your vocal range. Yet, tessitura and your vocal range are not the same. Your vocal range refers to the highest and lowest notes that you can sing well. Tessitura, however, refers to the notes’ range within a music piece. 

When choosing a song, you should carefully look at the vocal line’s notes within a song. Try to see if there are notes that go beyond your vocal range. Try to figure out, too, if the notes come in such a way that you can sing them with ease.

3) The Song Rhythm and Melody

The rhythm and melody are inherent to a song. Rhythm, of course, refers to how accented and unaccented beats are grouped relative to each other. It refers to the timing when singing a song. Melody, on the other hand, refers to the note sequence that is satisfying to listen to. It is also known as the tune. It is a combination of rhythm and pitch. 

So, if you are selecting a song to sing, you should choose one with rhythm and melody that you can sing and love to sing. If you find it hard to sing a fast-paced song like Shakira’s Hips Don’t Lie or Kelly Clarkson’s Mr. Know It All, you should refrain from choosing such songs.

4) Your Liking of the Song

Your Song’s delivery is often colored by how much you like the music piece and how much you feel comfortable singing that Song. So, as a female artist, you need to select songs that you like. If you like a song, you subconsciously imbibe its rhythm and melodies. Besides, you want to sing it repeatedly, making it easy for you to make a good rendition of that Song on stage.

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Other Factors to Consider

Aside from the four factors mentioned above, it will help to consider some other things to zero in on the most suitable piece for you when choosing a female song. Here are some of these things:

1) Consider Your Connection to the Song

Of course, the piece you usually sing in the shower is the Song that connects most to your heart. So, when choosing a song, you should select something that rouses your emotions or passions. There are songs to which you can readily connect. So, if you are vying for a slot in a singing contest, you should choose songs in your audition that touch you emotionally. Look for a piece with which you can emphasize.

2) Choose a Song Sung by a Female

It is preposterous to sing a song sung by a male if you are a female. Unless you know how to transpose the keys using your instrument, then you should not try it. Of course, you should own the Song and give a better female version of that Song.

3) Know Your Audience

Another factor to consider when selecting a song is your audience. If you know that the judges in your audition, for example, are millennials, you should select a song with which millennials can relate. However, if you notice that the judges mostly belong to Gen X, you should choose appropriate songs with which Gen X can relate.

4) The Mood & Emotions You Would Like to Create in the Song

Another factor that you can use when choosing a song is the mood that you would like to build in your audience. For example, if you are desirous of making your audience feel nostalgic or sentimental, then go for a song that can make them reflective and emotional. If you want them to dance, then go for a fast-paced music piece that can make your audience gyrate to the Song’s rhythm.

Conclusion

A good selection of songs can spell out the difference between your success or failure during a performance, singing gig, or competition. One thing is sure; if you pick the Song that does not go well with your voice and personality, your audience will readily notice it. Thus, with the help of the abovementioned tips, you should zero in on the right songs to include in your repertoire. 

It won’t help if you choose a piece based on its popularity. It may be better to sing a song that people are not familiar with when auditioning. Moreover, your vocal abilities should be paramount in your choice of songs because a song beyond your vocal range will give you a hard time and may damage your vocal cords.