Take On Me: key, vocal range and notes
Morten Harket of A-Ha sings Take On Me in A major at 169 BPM. The melody spans A2–E5, about 2.6 octaves, and 83% of the time stays between G#3 and A4 — comfortable for tenors in the original key. Difficulty: 56/100, medium.
- Key
- A major
- Vocal range
- A2 – E52.6 octaves
- Sits mostly
- G#3 – A483% of singing time
- Highest note
- E54 times, first at 1:09
- Difficulty
- 56medium, out of 100
Notes of Take On Me on the keyboard
Every note the vocal line touches. The brightest keys are the ones you hold most of the time.
The melody uses 7 different notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#.
The whole song, note by note
The vocal melody from the first word to the last. Each colored block on top is one phrase: blocks with the same letter sing the same melody. Take On Me has 5 phrases but only 4 different melodies — learn those and you know the whole song. Tap a letter to see where it comes back.
Notes and syllables as on the Vocaberry song screen: a line joins the notes of one syllable.
- Highest note
- E5 at 1:09, 1:49, 3:09, 3:26. Altogether 14 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- A2 at 0:52, 1:32, 2:52. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- 20 semitones, E5 → G#3, 2 times; first at 3:10.
- Longest note
- E5, held for 5.7 s at 1:49.
- How much singing
- 2:16 of 3:43: 215 notes in 5 phrases.
- Tempo
- 169 BPM — a quick one; learn the lines slowly first. Vocaberry Karaoke lets you change the tempo.
How long each note is sung
Seconds of singing on each note across the whole song.
Intervals: how the melody moves
Every move from one note to the next inside a phrase — 210 in total. Steps are easy to sing in tune, wide leaps are where most people miss the note.
- 78% of the moves are repeated notes or steps — the melody mostly walks rather than jumps.
- The most common move is major 2nd (89 times). The fifths mostly go up (19 up, 5 down).
- The widest jump is 20 semitones, 2 times — 0 up, 2 down. Practise it slowly: the far note has to land exactly in tune.
The best key for your voice
The smallest key change that puts Take On Me in the comfortable part of each voice type. Don't know your type? Take the free vocal range test.
| Voice | Change | Key | You'd sing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | −8 semitones | D♭ major | C#2G#4 |
| Baritone | −4 semitones | F major | F2C5 |
| Tenor | original key | A major | A2E5 |
| Contralto | +4 semitones | D♭ major | C#3G#5 |
| Mezzo-soprano | +8 semitones | F major | F3C6 |
| Soprano | +12 semitones | A major | A3E6 |
Sing Take On Me in your key. Vocaberry Karaoke shows which note to sing and whether you hit it. Key and tempo adjust to your voice.
Get Vocaberry Karaoke
What's your range? Sing a few notes in the online test: it finds your lowest and highest notes and your voice type.
Test my rangeSongs with the same range as Take On Me
If Take On Me fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
More A-Ha songs
Key, range and difficulty of other A-Ha songs in Vocaberry. All A-Ha songs and Morten Harket's vocal range →
| Song | Key | Range | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunting High And Low1985 | Key Am | C3B4 | medium · 58 |
| Crying In The Rain1990 | Key D | F#3A4 | easy · 33 |
| Living Daylights2004 | Key F | C3A4 | hard · 61 |
| Summer Moved On2019 | Key A | E3B4 | medium · 42 |
| Living A Boy's Adventure Tale1985 | Key F♯m | E3F#5 | hard · 61 |
| Dark Is The Night For All (Mt)1993 | Key F | F3C5 | medium · 45 |
Questions about Take On Me
What key is Take On Me by A-Ha in?
Take On Me is in A major at 169 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass lowers it 8 semitones (D♭ major); a baritone lowers it 4 semitones (F major); a tenor can sing it in the original key.
What is the vocal range of Take On Me?
The vocal line goes from A2 to E5 — 2.6 octaves. 83% of the singing time stays between G#3 and A4.
What is the highest note in Take On Me?
E5. It comes 4 times, first at 1:09: altogether 14 seconds out of 136 seconds of singing.
Is Take On Me hard to sing?
It is rated medium — 56 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is wide (2.6 octaves); the tricky part is the jump of 20 semitones down to G#3.
Can a woman sing Take On Me?
Yes, in another key: a contralto raises it 4 semitones (D♭ major); a mezzo-soprano raises it 8 semitones (F major); a soprano raises it 12 semitones (A major). Vocaberry Karaoke lets you change the key and tempo of a song.
Notes, range and timing come from the vocal transcription used in Vocaberry Karaoke; the key and difficulty are Vocaberry's. Voice type ranges are the ones Vocal Range uses.