Are there hidden technical difficulties for vocalists when they transpose?

Question

I am not a vocalist, but an instrumentalist.

When I want to transpose something up or down a half step, this takes considerable work: different hand/chord shapes on the piano, completely different fingerings on a brass or woodwind instrument, etc.

I have always assumed that transposition for vocalists is a relatively simple exercise, and that the only consideration that comes into play is range: transposing something up or down could make the higher or lower notes more difficult, but that's pretty much it.

Am I correct here, or are there other hidden difficulties for vocalists when they transpose?

Answer 1

Depending on how the vocalist initially learned their song, remembering the transposed version can be surprisingly nightmarish. If the vocalist learned the song by ear from a single recording, they can no longer pitch-match to any version in their head when singing a transposed version. If the vocalist learned the song from sheet music, they just might be trying to transpose the song on the fly by transposing every individual note on the sheet music by the same amount instead of transposing the first note and using intervals between sung notes from there.

Answer 2

Apart from your observations about each end of the range - both that of the vocalist and that of the song - I haven't found any technical difficulties. Certain sounds are more difficult to song well, particularly at the top end, when tansposed higher.

It's strange, but I don't even consider what happens when I sing a particular song in a different key. Not even consciously thinking in intervals. Very slightly similar to playing something on guitar or bass, merely by shifting everything up or down. There's the obvious more stretch there when playing in a lower key, more squash in a higher key, but that's the instrument. But everything basically the same.

So, no technical difficulties or challenges such as are found on most instruments - which often need complete changes of fingering, embouchure, etc. An interesting one would be to give a good sight-singer some dots, but an incorrect start note/key. Without absolute pitch, I doubt it would come out 'wrong'.