Sultans Of Swing: key, vocal range and notes
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits sings Sultans Of Swing in D minor at 151 BPM. The melody spans C3–C4, exactly an octave, and 89% of the time stays between D3 and A3 — comfortable for basss and baritones in the original key. Difficulty: 49/100, medium.
- Key
- D minor
- Vocal range
- C3 – C41 octave
- Sits mostly
- D3 – A389% of singing time
- Highest note
- C420 times, first at 0:28
- Difficulty
- 49medium, out of 100
Notes of Sultans Of Swing 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: D, E, F, G, A, A#, C.
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. Sultans Of Swing has 30 phrases but only 13 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
- C4 at 0:28, 0:28, 0:29, 0:29, 0:57, 0:57, 1:41, 1:42, 1:42, 2:10, 2:10, 2:10 and later. Each one is short — 5 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- C3 at 0:31, 0:36, 0:59, 1:05, 1:10, 2:23, 3:39, 3:39, 3:40, 3:40. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- A major sixth, C3 → A3; first at 3:39.
- Longest note
- E3, held for 1.1 s at 1:37.
- How much singing
- 1:27 of 3:43: 325 notes in 30 phrases.
- Tempo
- 151 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 — 291 in total. Steps are easy to sing in tune, wide leaps are where most people miss the note.
- 66% of the moves are repeated notes or steps — the melody mostly walks rather than jumps.
- The most common move is minor 3rd (60 times). The fifths mostly go down (2 up, 8 down).
- The widest jump is major 6th, 1 time — 1 up, 0 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 Sultans Of Swing 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 | original key | D minor | C3C4 |
| Baritone | original key | D minor | C3C4 |
| Tenor | +2 semitones | E minor | D3D4 |
| Contralto | +7 semitones | A minor | G3G4 |
| Mezzo-soprano | +11 semitones | C♯ minor | B3B4 |
| Soprano | +14 semitones | E minor | D4D5 |
Sing Sultans Of Swing 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 Sultans Of Swing
If Sultans Of Swing fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
More Dire Straits songs
Key, range and difficulty of other Dire Straits songs in Vocaberry. All Dire Straits songs and Mark Knopfler's vocal range →
| Song | Key | Range | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Money For Nothing1985 | Key Gm | C3D4 | medium · 52 |
| Brothers In Arms1985 | Key C♯m | F#3B5 | hard · 64 |
| Romeo And Juliet1980 | Key Dm | F2C4 | medium · 59 |
| So Far Away1985 | Key E | E2G#3 | medium · 57 |
| Your Latest Trick1985 | Key E | A2A3 | medium · 59 |
| On Every Street1991 | Key C | G2A3 | easy · 36 |
Questions about Sultans Of Swing
What key is Sultans Of Swing by Dire Straits in?
Sultans Of Swing is in D minor at 151 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass can sing it in the original key; a baritone can sing it in the original key; a tenor raises it 2 semitones (E minor).
What is the vocal range of Sultans Of Swing?
The vocal line goes from C3 to C4 — 1 octave. 89% of the singing time stays between D3 and A3.
What is the highest note in Sultans Of Swing?
C4. It comes 20 times, first at 0:28, always for a moment: altogether 5 seconds out of 87 seconds of singing.
Is Sultans Of Swing hard to sing?
It is rated medium — 49 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is narrow (1 octave); the tricky part is the jump of a major sixth up to A3.
Can a woman sing Sultans Of Swing?
Yes, in another key: a contralto raises it 7 semitones (A minor); a mezzo-soprano raises it 11 semitones (C♯ minor); a soprano raises it 14 semitones (E minor). 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.