Under Pressure: key, vocal range and notes
Freddie Mercury of Queen sings Under Pressure in D major at 114 BPM. The melody spans C#3–D5, about 2.1 octaves, and 88% of the time stays between A3 and A4. Difficulty: 68/100, hard.
- Key
- D major
- Vocal range
- C#3 – D52.1 octaves
- Sits mostly
- A3 – A488% of singing time
- Highest note
- D54 times, first at 1:03
- Difficulty
- 68hard, out of 100
Notes of Under Pressure on the keyboard
Every note the vocal line touches. The brightest keys are the ones you hold most of the time.
The melody uses 10 different notes: D, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, B, C, 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. Under Pressure has 12 phrases but only 12 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
- D5 at 1:03, 1:03, 1:54, 1:54. Each one is short — 1 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- C#3 at 0:50, 0:50, 0:51. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- 16 semitones, B4 → G3; first at 1:55.
- Longest note
- A4, held for 12.4 s at 2:21.
- How much singing
- 2:17 of 4:08: 365 notes in 12 phrases.
- Tempo
- 114 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 — 331 in total. Steps are easy to sing in tune, wide leaps are where most people miss the note.
- 76% of the moves are repeated notes or steps — the melody mostly walks rather than jumps.
- The most common move is major 2nd (98 times). The fifths mostly go up (5 up, 2 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 Under Pressure 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 | E major | D#2E4 |
| Baritone | −4 semitones | B♭ major | A2A#4 |
| Tenor | −2 semitones | C major | B2C5 |
| Contralto | +4 semitones | F♯ major | F3F#5 |
| Mezzo-soprano | +8 semitones | B♭ major | A3A#5 |
| Soprano | +10 semitones | C major | B3C6 |
Sing Under Pressure 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 Under Pressure
If Under Pressure fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
More Queen songs
Key, range and difficulty of other Queen songs in Vocaberry. All Queen songs and Freddie Mercury's vocal range →
| Song | Key | Range | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Don't Stop Me Now1978 | Key F | F3A#4 | medium · 59 |
| Bohemian Rhapsody1975 | Key A | E3C5 | medium · 56 |
| Another One Bites The Dust1980 | Key G | G2D5 | very hard · 80 |
| We Will Rock You1977 | Key Em | D#3A#4 | medium · 53 |
| Radio Ga Ga1984 | Key F | G2A#3 | medium · 48 |
| Killer Queen1974 | Key Cm | F3A#4 | hard · 65 |
Practise Under Pressure by the notes
Under Pressure is one of the songs in Vocaberry — Learn to Sing. The app shows in real time whether you hit the note, and lessons adapt to your vocal range.
Learn to sing with Under Pressure. Real-time pitch feedback, warm-ups and exercises tuned to your range.
Get VocaberryQuestions about Under Pressure
What key is Under Pressure by Queen in?
Under Pressure is in D major at 114 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass lowers it 10 semitones (E major); a baritone lowers it 4 semitones (B♭ major); a tenor lowers it 2 semitones (C major).
What is the vocal range of Under Pressure?
The vocal line goes from C#3 to D5 — 2.1 octaves. 88% of the singing time stays between A3 and A4.
What is the highest note in Under Pressure?
D5. It comes 4 times, first at 1:03, always for a moment: altogether 1 seconds out of 138 seconds of singing.
Is Under Pressure hard to sing?
It is rated hard — 68 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is wide (2.1 octaves); the tricky part is the jump of 16 semitones down to G3.
Can a woman sing Under Pressure?
Yes, in another key: a contralto raises it 4 semitones (F♯ major); a mezzo-soprano raises it 8 semitones (B♭ major); a soprano raises it 10 semitones (C 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.