Country duo second voice in F sharp minor
In F sharp minor, a Brazilian country duo (sertanejo) usually sings the second voice in thirds above the melody (F♯–A, G♯–B, A–C♯, B–D, C♯–E, D–F♯, E–G♯) and, when the third gets too high, drops to the sixth below: the same note, an octave lower. When the chord is the dominant (C♯), the third above C♯ rises from E to E♯ (major third), the leading note of F sharp minor.
The F sharp minor scale with the second voice
Each row is a degree of the F sharp minor scale: the melody note, the second-voice note and the interval between them.
| Degree | 1st voice (melody) | 2nd voice: third above | 2nd voice: sixth below |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | F♯ | A minor third | A major sixth |
| II | G♯ | B minor third | B major sixth |
| III | A | C♯ major third | C♯ minor sixth |
| IV | B | D minor third | D major sixth |
| V | C♯ | E minor third | E major sixth |
| VI | D | F♯ major third | F♯ minor sixth |
| VII | E | G♯ major third | G♯ minor sixth |
On the staff
The F sharp minor scale going up, with the second voice on the lower staff. The numbers between the staves are the intervals (3 = third, 6 = sixth).
Hear it and practise in F sharp minor
The tool below opens with Greensleeves, transposed from E minor to F sharp minor, and the second voice in this style. Change the melody, the style and the key whenever you like. In Greensleeves, with the automatic range, the second voice sings 67 notes in thirds and 4 in sixths. It switches sides 4 times.
1. The melody
Melody only: no lyrics.
Type C D E F G A B (or do re mi fa sol la si), # and b for sharp and flat, :2 for 2 beats, :1/2 for half a beat, p for a rest. Without a number, each note goes to the octave closest to the previous one; ' raises it an octave and , lowers it.
Length
Turn it on, wait for a one-bar count-in and sing (or play) the melody in time with the click. Nothing is recorded: the device only writes down the notes.
2. The second voice
Style
Transpose · Range of whoever sings the 1st voice · Chords
E.g. C | G7 | C F | G C. In the choir style, the 2nd voice prefers chord notes on the strong beats.
3. See
Choose, type or sing a melody to start.
The numbers between the staves are the intervals (3 = third, 6 = sixth, 8 = octave). Tap a note in the 1st voice to fix it.
Tab for both guitars and the positions on the fretboard: filled = 1st voice, ring = 2nd voice. The guitar sounds an octave lower than written.
Each staff is written the way the player reads it (already transposed for the instrument). In red: outside the comfortable range.
4. Listen
5. Practise
The app plays one voice and you sing or play the other. Each note lights up green (right), yellow (close) or red. Nothing of your voice is recorded: only the score stays on the device.
I take
Listening
Without headphones, the other voice plays quietly and the microphone ignores anything that matches it. Sing much louder than the phone (or use headphones: it works much better).
Strictness
Result
0 out of 100
The table shows the two notes the second voice can sing on each degree of F sharp minor: the third above, the way duos do it, and the sixth below, which has the same name and sits an octave lower. The second voice stays on the third while it fits the voice and moves to the sixth when the melody climbs too high.
It is best to switch rarely and, preferably, after a rest or a long note, so the switch does not show in the middle of a phrase. In the tool, the “Country duo (sertanejo)” style picks those places by looking at the whole song, within the range of whoever sings the second voice.
Other second voices in F sharp minor
In other keys
Frequently asked questions
How do you sing a country-duo second voice in F sharp minor?
Sing the third above each melody note (F♯–A, G♯–B, A–C♯, B–D, C♯–E, D–F♯, E–G♯) and, when it gets too high, the sixth below, which is the same note an octave lower. Go back to the third as soon as you can.
When does the second voice switch from the third to the sixth?
When the third above would go beyond the range of whoever sings the second voice. The switch sounds best after a rest or a long note, and the fewer switches, the more natural it sounds.
Does the duo’s second voice go above or below the melody?
Usually above, in thirds. The tool’s “Country duo (sertanejo)” style also does the opposite: a third below that becomes a sixth above when the voice goes too low.