Bitter Sweet Symphony: key, vocal range and notes
Richard Ashcroft of Verve sings Bitter Sweet Symphony in A major at 85 BPM. The melody spans E3–E4, exactly an octave, and 83% of the time stays between A3 and D4 — comfortable for baritones and tenors in the original key. Difficulty: 29/100, easy.
- Key
- A major
- Vocal range
- E3 – E41 octave
- Sits mostly
- A3 – D483% of singing time
- Highest note
- E41 time, first at 0:54
- Difficulty
- 29easy, out of 100
Notes of Bitter Sweet Symphony on the keyboard
Every note the vocal line touches. The brightest keys are the ones you hold most of the time.
The melody uses 8 different notes: A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G, 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. Bitter Sweet Symphony has 13 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
- E4 at 0:54. Each one is short — 0 seconds in total.
- Lowest note
- E3 at 1:35, 2:54, 3:50. Keep it relaxed, don't push the low end.
- Biggest jump
- A tritone, D4 → G#3, 6 times; first at 1:19.
- Longest note
- C#4, held for 1.3 s at 1:53.
- How much singing
- 2:11 of 4:16: 303 notes in 13 phrases.
- Tempo
- 85 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 — 288 in total. Steps are easy to sing in tune, wide leaps are where most people miss the note.
- 83% of the moves are repeated notes or steps — the melody mostly walks rather than jumps.
- The most common move is major 2nd (52 times).
- The widest jump is tritone, 6 times — 0 up, 6 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 Bitter Sweet Symphony 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 | −3 semitones | F♯ major | C#3C#4 |
| Baritone | original key | A major | E3E4 |
| Tenor | original key | A major | E3E4 |
| Contralto | +3 semitones | C major | G3G4 |
| Mezzo-soprano | +7 semitones | E major | B3B4 |
| Soprano | +10 semitones | G major | D4D5 |
Sing Bitter Sweet Symphony 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 Bitter Sweet Symphony
If Bitter Sweet Symphony fits your voice, these will too: the same lowest and highest notes and the same middle.
Questions about Bitter Sweet Symphony
What key is Bitter Sweet Symphony by Verve in?
Bitter Sweet Symphony is in A major at 85 BPM. If it feels too high or too low, change the key: a bass lowers it 3 semitones (F♯ 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 Bitter Sweet Symphony?
The vocal line goes from E3 to E4 — 1 octave. 83% of the singing time stays between A3 and D4.
What is the highest note in Bitter Sweet Symphony?
E4. It comes 1 time, first at 0:54, always for a moment: altogether 0 seconds out of 131 seconds of singing.
Is Bitter Sweet Symphony hard to sing?
It is rated easy — 29 out of 100 in Vocaberry. The range is narrow (1 octave); the tricky part is the jump of a tritone down to G#3.
Can a woman sing Bitter Sweet Symphony?
Yes, in another key: a contralto raises it 3 semitones (C major); a mezzo-soprano raises it 7 semitones (E major); a soprano raises it 10 semitones (G 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.