Vocal Range Chart

Maybe you have been asked what your vocal range is and not had a good answer? Knowing your vocal range will help you pick the songs/keys that work best for the voice and showcase your vocal strengths.

First… Lets figure out your vocal range. It’s easy! You just need to find the best note you can comfortably sing and the best note you can comfortably sing. If you do not already know just the names of the notes on the piano, click here.

• Go to a piano or find a digital keyboard with at the least 3 octaves.
• Sing an email that feels near the bottom of one’s register and comfortable.
• Realize that note on the piano. *Ladies, you should search for the lowest note around middle C and move down from there. Guys, start the C an octave below middle C to find your lowest pitch.*
• Now, move down by 50 percent steps from that note before you reach your lowest comfortable note. This should be an email that you’d be comfortable sustaining and hitting consistently, not just the best sound you possibly can make
• Now do exactly the same for the highest note. Try this in head voice (don’t try and belt).

Additionally it is very useful to understand the best note you can comfortably belt. If you want to sing Pop, R&B, Rock, Gospel, Musical Theater or nearly every contemporary style, you will likely be using your chest voice some of the time. Knowing how high you can safely take your chest voice will help you choose the best songs/keys and keep you from vocal strain or damage.

We use numbers to indicate which A B C D E F or G we’re discussing when speaking about vocal range. For example, my range is G4 to D6 (I’m a soprano). My highest belt note is C5.

Here’s a plan of the whole keyboard with numbers. Middle C is C4.

Now that you’ve figured out your vocal range ….Let’s see where you fit in. Women’s voices are categorized in three parts (from high to low) Soprano, Mezzo Soprano and Alto. Men’s voices are from highest to lowest are Tenor, Baritone and Bass.

Here are the original ranges for each voice part. This is a guide, many folks have larger ranges than listed.

Aural Study of Vocal Ranges

These ranges match the following:
Soprano: C4 to A5
Mezzo-soprano: A3 to F#5
Alto: G3 to E5 (and contralto as F3-D5)
Tenor: roughly C3 to A4
Baritone: A2 to F4
Bass: F2 to E4

However, in the layman explanation, based on the vocal ranges chart above. The vocal range is only the span between the best to lowest notes.

It’s crucial to identify the vocal range correctly since the vocal range of women and men might be varied. Like, a person he is able to features a 2 and 1 1/2 octave range in the full voice and an additional of 1 1/2 octave in falsetto. And in comparison to a woman’s vocal range , a lady can has 2 octave and additional major 3rd on the very bottom of the vocal range chart.

What is Vocal Range?

The role of vocal range in classifying different singing voices to voice types is considered so important. However, there are times when these 2 terms are being confused with each other. The definition of “voice type” identifies a certain kind of singing voice that’s identifying characteristics or qualities.

Vocal range is considered only one particular qualities. There are numerous other factors included such as vocal weight, vocal registration, scientific testing, speech level, physical characteristics, vocal transition, vocal timbre, and vocal tessitura. A mix of each one of these factors is utilized to determine a singer’s voice, and categorize it right into a specific kind of voice type.

Today, vocal pedagogists use many different voice types in different systems of voice classification. However, several types are sub-types falling under 7 different main voice categories. Typically, they are acknowledged in all major systems of voice classification.

Types of Vocal Range

The voices of women are split into 3 categories: soprano, contralto, and mezzo-soprano. In case of men, their voices are typically categorized into 4 groups: tenor, countertenor, bass, and baritone. In regards to the pre-pubescent children’s voices, treble, and 8th term is normally applied.

In each one of these main categories, several sub-categories can be found that serve to identify particular voice qualities such as vocal weight and coloratura facility to differentiate various kinds of voices. The irony is that the vocal range itself has no ability to identify the voice kind of a singer.

Female Vocal Range Type

• Sopranino (A3-)D4-C6(-F6)

• Soprano (F#3-)B3-A5(-D6)

• Treble (F3-)Bb3-Ab5(-Db6) (This kind of voice only applicable to kids below 11 years of age, as their voices haven’t changed yet. Some vocalists classify them as Sopranos, Altos, etc…

• Mezzo-Soprano (E3-)A3-G5(-C6)
• Alto (D3-)G3-F5(-Bb5)
• Contralto (C3-)F3-Eb5(-Ab5)

Male Vocal Range Type

• Countertenor (Bb2-)Eb3-Db5(-F#5)

• High Tenor (G#2-)C#3-B4(-E5)

• Tenor (G2-)C3-Bb4(-Eb5)

• Low Tenor (F2-)Bb2-Ab4(-Db5)

• High Baritone (Eb2-)Ab2-F#4(-B4)

• Baritone (D2-)G2-F4(-Bb4)

• Bass-Baritone (C2-)F2-Eb4(-Ab4)

• Bass (B1-)E2-D4(-G4)

• Low Bass (F1-)Bb1-Ab3(-Db4)

• Octavist (B0-)E1-D3(-G3)

Each voice type is known to possess a general voice range that is connected with it. Singing voices may cover vocal ranges that have only 1 voice type, or they fall between the normal ranges of 2 voice types. In this instance, voice teachers use only vocal range as an issue in categorizing a singer’s voice.

Finding The Tessitura Voice Within Your Range

Tessitura identifies where your voice is comfortable when singing. It is considered more important compared to vocal range in determining the voice classification. Another more important factor is vocal timbre, described because the descriptive sound of one’s singing voice. As an example, a lady might have a type of vocal range that will reach the high pitch of a mezzo-soprano.

Accordingly, she may also sing the lower notes of a soprano. Therefore, a voice teacher would try to determine if a performer is much more comfortable singing higher or lower notes. Let’s say that you’re much more comfortable to sing higher notes, then, your teacher may classify you as a soprano.

On one other hand, if you had been much more comfortable singing lower notes, then, you’d probably be classified as a mezzo-soprano. However, a voice teacher would not put a performer right into a classification greater than 1voice type, aside from his/her size of vocal range.

You are able to find out about Tessitura voice and vocal classification in this information: How to Find Your Tessitura Voice?

How to Find Your Vocal Range?

You are able to identify your lowest vocal range and highest vocal range you can hit by following the guide in this video below. Pay attention to the note and sing it along, let’s see what’s the best note you can sing…

Let’s check and find your vocal range by using this chart after you have test your vocal through the video above.

It’s to provide you with some ideas on how the vocal range works. As a performer, you’re will have the ability to perform any song more soulfully and powerful when you have a broader vocal range to take care of different octaves and registers efficiently.

Guidelines on Classifying Singers

Generally speaking, vocal pedagogues generally take advantage of five key voice qualities when classifying human voice. These qualities will be the vocal range , vocal weight, timbre or tone quality, tessitura, and passaggio. The correct classification of an individual voice is essential because if you misclassify a voice, odds are, you could damage the voice in the future as opposed to developing that voice to full fruition. Here will be the five key voice qualities for voice classifications:

1. Vocal Range – is the entire spectral range of notes, from the best to the greatest, a person’s voice can produce.
2. Vocal Weight – is perceivable “lightness” or “heaviness” in the voice quality. The light voice is agiler while much voice is richer and more powerful.
3. Timbre or Tone Quality – in line with the definition of Acoustical Society of America is the “attribute of auditory sensation which enables a listener to judge that two nonidentical sounds, similarly presented and having the same loudness and pitch, are dissimilar.”
4. Tessitura – pertains to the aesthetically acceptable pleasantness of the voice of a singer.
5. Passaggio – is the word that is often used to describe the location of transition between different vocal registers.

In addition to these key voice qualities used in classifying singers, some vocal teachers consider other factors like speech level or the vocal register. The vocal register is a natural tone of the voice that emanates from vibratory patterns of the vocal cords in the larynx. You can find four vocal registry types, namely:

1. Vocal Fry Register – is the best voice register a person can produce in speech or singing. This voice register is lower than the chest voice.
2. Modal Voice Register – also referred to as the conventional voice is the vocal register that individuals normally use in creating a speech or singing.
3. Falsetto Register – is just a higher vocal register that lies above the modal voice. The falsetto approximately overlaps the conventional vocal register by an octave likewise.
4. Whistle Register – is definitely the greatest vocal register that may be produced and the absolute most challenging vocal to perform. Thus, it’s very rare even among professional singers. However, there are many people including the male who is able to readily try this register.

Understanding the Different Voice Types

Voice classifications descend from European classical music and developed over the years. Other similar voice classifications were also developed and introduced like usually the one in the choral group. Voice classifications, however, generally fall under three groups, namely: female, male, and children’s voice.

A. Understanding The Major Classifications of Female Voices

1. Soprano—The best singing voice that lies from middle C4 to high C6. It’s split into five sub-categories in line with the vocal range , timbre, weight, and voice dexterity and these subcategories will be the coloratura soprano, soubrette, dramatic, spinto, and lyric soprano.

2. Mezzo-soprano—The middle-range of the female singing voice that sits involving the soprano and contralto singing voice. This voice range lies between A3 to A5 but may go as little as F3 or as high as C6.

3. Contralto—The contralto is the best tessitura of the female singing voice with a vocal range that starts from D3 to B♭5. A contralto that could extend her voice as much as C6 is called a Soprano Sfogato.

B. Understanding The Major Classifications of Male Voices

1. Countertenor—The countertenor is the greatest male singing voice range that stretches from E3 to E5. Countertenors usually sing their high notes in falsetto vocal register and sing the reduced notes in modal voice.

2. Tenor—Here is the highest male singing voice using modal voice register only. The tenor voice range spans two octaves from C3 to C5 but can extend either down or up at B♭2 and F5 respectively. Like the other categories, the tenor can be subdivided into subcategories in line with the voice qualities stated previously above.

3. Baritone—Here is the midrange of the male voice, and it spans A2 to A4 with an expansion down seriously to F2 as high as C5.

4. Bass—Here is the lowest singing voice range that occupies the keys between E2 to E4.

C. Children’s Voice

1. Treble—This high vocal range singing voice is appropriate for boys and girls before pubescence. It lies from A3 to A5 and is similar to the mezzo-soprano voice range.

Choral Music Classification

Choral music classifies voices based solely on the vocal range. The feminine voice is split into soprano and alto; while the male voice is split into tenor and bass along with occasional treble for children. This can cause misclassification by which a singer might be assigned to do a area of the choral group that is not right for his/her voice range.

Lastly, this misclassification might be harmful to the voice of an individual for as opposed to letting the person’s voice to flourish and develop in his/her real classification, this misclassification may damage the voice of an individual in the long run.