Originally Posted by
jobucats
Pairing a male vocalist with a female vocalist on a song which was not especially written for the pair is a challenge. When we hear a cover of a particular song by a male/female duet, we can often notice one or more of the following:
1. If the song does not modulate, aka change keys, during the song, usually either the male or the female is singing in his/her 'sweet spot' range while the other is not necessarily singing in his/her target zone. That's why we will often hear more of a straining/reaching tone from the male singer when he is paired with the female.
2. When performing a cover song, the arrangement might have a subtle modulation when, for example, the female sings her verse; and then another modulation when the male sings his verse; therefore, allowing each singer to showcase his/her voice.
3. Because singers like Levi Stubbs and David Ruffin had ranges that could soar, pairing them with a female singer could work pretty well. Their high notes are usually in the female singer's 'sweet spot' range.
4. Some people claimed Diana Ross lacked the ability comfortably sing the Temptation songs in the original key on the medley the Supremes and the Temptations did on the Ed Sullivan show. True; however, neither could David Ruffin find his 'sweet spot' by singing the Supreme songs in their original key. Yes, there probably was a lot of give and take with Berry and the arrangers to optimize both singer's 'zone' by placing the songs in the keys they wound up using keeping in mind that both of these superstars wanted to make sure their voice was optimized.
4. There are some songs/duets in which the singers are singing the melody lines in the same key; but one singer, usually the male, is singing in an octave lower than the female. This combination works pretty well with a pop female singer and a male who is a baritone or bass singer. An excellent example of this is "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond.
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