I'm a (not so experienced) guy and would like to try and learn a piece that has both a vocal part and a piano part. Since I'm a male, I think I need to sing the piece from the image I've attached (and other pieces with a similar range) down an octave. Is that standard practice for males?
If I do that, does that mean that I should also play the piano down an octave? On both hands? I'm asking because I hear that the melody is generally supposed to be the highest part (in order to make it stand out). But in the piece I've attached and others I've seen, bringing the vocal part down an octave would make it lower than the piano accompaniment's highest notes. And then I've also seen pieces where bringing the left hand of the piano part down an octave would bring it off of an 88 key piano entirely.
So, if I sing the melody line an octave lower, should the piano accompaniment change too?