Don't Stop Believin': key, vocal range and notes
Steve Perry of Journey sings Don't Stop Believin' in E major at 120 BPM. The melody spans E3–C#5, about 1.8 octaves, and 90% of the time stays between E4 and B4. Difficulty: 72/100, hard.
- Key
- E major
- Vocal range
- E3 – C#51.8 octaves
- Sits mostly
- E4 – B490% of singing time
- Highest note
- C#515 times, first at 2:27
- Difficulty
- 72hard, out of 100
Notes of Don't Stop Believin' on the keyboard
Every note the vocal line touches. The brightest keys are the ones you hold most of the time.
The melody uses 6 different notes: E, F#, G#, A, B, 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. Don't Stop Believin' has 28 phrases but only 19 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
- C#5 at 2:27, 2:56, 3:27, 3:28, 3:42, 3:42, 3:43, 3:43, 3:58, 3:59, 3:59, 4:00 and later. Each one is short — 5 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- E3 at 1:24, 2:35, 2:41, 2:42, 2:51, 2:57, 2:59. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- 16 semitones, G#4 → E3; first at 2:41.
- Longest note
- B4, held for 4.2 s at 1:49.
- How much singing
- 1:39 of 4:11: 309 notes in 28 phrases.
- Tempo
- 120 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 — 244 in total. Steps are easy to sing in tune, wide leaps are where most people miss the note.
- 68% of the moves are repeated notes or steps — the melody mostly walks rather than jumps.
- The most common move is major 2nd (100 times). The fifths mostly go up (15 up, 5 down).
- The widest jump is 16 semitones, 1 time — 0 up, 1 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 Don't Stop Believin' 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 | −10 semitones | F♯ major | F#2D#4 |
| Baritone | −6 semitones | B♭ major | A#2G4 |
| Tenor | −2 semitones | D major | D3B4 |
| Contralto | +2 semitones | F♯ major | F#3D#5 |
| Mezzo-soprano | +6 semitones | B♭ major | A#3G5 |
| Soprano | +10 semitones | D major | D4B5 |
Sing Don't Stop Believin' 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 Don't Stop Believin'
If Don't Stop Believin' fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
More Journey songs
Key, range and difficulty of other Journey songs in Vocaberry. All Journey songs and Steve Perry's vocal range →
| Song | Key | Range | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separate Ways1983 | Key Em | B3E5 | easy · 37 |
| Any Way You Want It1980 | Key Em | G3C5 | easy · 38 |
| Open Arms1981 | Key D | F#3B4 | medium · 43 |
| Wheel In The Sky1978 | Key Dm | C4C5 | easy · 39 |
| Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'1979 | Key A | F#3C#5 | medium · 51 |
| Faithfully2001 | Key G♯m | G#2G#3 | easy · 29 |
Questions about Don't Stop Believin'
What key is Don't Stop Believin' by Journey in?
Don't Stop Believin' is in E major at 120 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass lowers it 10 semitones (F♯ major); a baritone lowers it 6 semitones (B♭ major); a tenor lowers it 2 semitones (D major).
What is the vocal range of Don't Stop Believin'?
The vocal line goes from E3 to C#5 — 1.8 octaves. 90% of the singing time stays between E4 and B4.
What is the highest note in Don't Stop Believin'?
C#5. It comes 15 times, first at 2:27, always for a moment: altogether 5 seconds out of 99 seconds of singing.
Is Don't Stop Believin' hard to sing?
It is rated hard — 72 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is wide (1.8 octaves); the tricky part is the jump of 16 semitones down to E3.
Can a woman sing Don't Stop Believin'?
Yes, in another key: a contralto raises it 2 semitones (F♯ major); a mezzo-soprano raises it 6 semitones (B♭ major); a soprano raises it 10 semitones (D 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.