Yesterday: key, vocal range and notes
Paul McCartney of The Beatles sings Yesterday in F major at 90 BPM. The melody spans D3–F4, just over an octave, and 85% of the time stays between G3 and F4 — comfortable for baritones and tenors in the original key. Difficulty: 34/100, easy.
- Key
- F major
- Vocal range
- D3 – F41.2 octaves
- Sits mostly
- G3 – F485% of singing time
- Highest note
- F410 times, first at 0:10
- Difficulty
- 34easy, out of 100
Notes of Yesterday on the keyboard
Every note the vocal line touches. The brightest keys are the ones you hold most of the time.
The melody uses 9 different notes: F, G, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, E.
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. Yesterday has 4 phrases but only 2 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
- F4 at 0:10, 0:29, 0:46, 0:57, 1:01, 1:09, 1:26, 1:37, 1:41, 1:49. Altogether 7 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- D3 at 0:21, 0:39, 1:19, 1:59, 2:04. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- A minor seventh, F4 → G3; first at 1:04.
- Longest note
- F4, held for 2.7 s at 1:01.
- How much singing
- 1:45 of 2:08: 174 notes in 4 phrases.
- Tempo
- 90 BPM — slow enough to learn line by line. 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 — 155 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 (65 times).
- The widest jump is minor 7th, 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 Yesterday 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 | −4 semitones | D♭ major | A#2C#4 |
| Baritone | original key | F major | D3F4 |
| Tenor | original key | F major | D3F4 |
| Contralto | +5 semitones | B♭ major | G3A#4 |
| Mezzo-soprano | +9 semitones | D major | B3D5 |
| Soprano | +12 semitones | F major | D4F5 |
Sing Yesterday 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 Yesterday
If Yesterday fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
More The Beatles songs
Key, range and difficulty of other The Beatles songs in Vocaberry. All The Beatles songs and Paul McCartney's vocal range →
| Song | Key | Range | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Here Comes The Sun1969 | Key F♯m | E3C#4 | medium · 43 |
| Let It Be1970 | Key C | E4C6 | medium · 51 |
| Come Together1969 | Key Dm | B2A#3 | easy · 32 |
| Blackbird1968 | Key C | D3G4 | medium · 43 |
| In My Life1965 | Key A | E3B4 | medium · 52 |
| Something1969 | Key C | G3G4 | easy · 36 |
Practise Yesterday by the notes
Yesterday 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 Yesterday. Real-time pitch feedback, warm-ups and exercises tuned to your range.
Get VocaberryQuestions about Yesterday
What key is Yesterday by The Beatles in?
Yesterday is in F major at 90 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass lowers it 4 semitones (D♭ major); a baritone can sing it in the original key; a tenor can sing it in the original key.
What is the vocal range of Yesterday?
The vocal line goes from D3 to F4 — 1.2 octaves. 85% of the singing time stays between G3 and F4.
What is the highest note in Yesterday?
F4. It comes 10 times, first at 0:10: altogether 7 seconds out of 105 seconds of singing.
Is Yesterday hard to sing?
It is rated easy — 34 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is moderate (1.2 octaves); the tricky part is the jump of a minor seventh down to G3.
Can a woman sing Yesterday?
Yes, in another key: a contralto raises it 5 semitones (B♭ major); a mezzo-soprano raises it 9 semitones (D major); a soprano raises it 12 semitones (F 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.