How to Find Your Singing Voice in 8 Steps

Discovering where your natural singing voice lies is possible, regardless of your natural ability. Singers often find their natural singing voice by experimenting with different octaves and ranges. The most helpful way to find your natural singing voice is to pinpoint your vocal range. To do this, locate the highest and lowest note you can sing comfortably above and below middle C on a piano. The word for this range of comfortable notes in your vocal register is “tessitura,” which includes both your higher and lower register.

A vocal range is the range of notes that a human voice can sing on pitch, measured from the lowest note to the highest note. Vocal ranges help singers determine their vocal type, which determines the pitch at which they can properly sing. Every person has a vocal range, averaging between one-and-a-half and two octaves, though professional singers can usually sing beyond that.

Singers who determine their range can pick the right songs to highlight their voices and develop their instrument properly. Famous singer Beyoncé is a mezzo-soprano. The late Freddie Mercury had a unique voice that spanned from a low bass to a high soprano. Johnny Cash’s low voice falls within the bass-baritone range. Here are the typical voice types, based on the lowest and highest notes you can hit in pitch, with middle C as the median:

1. 1. Soprano: Sopranos can sing from middle C to high C.
2. 2. Mezzo-soprano: This voice ranges from A below middle C to A above high C. This range also includes the treble pitch, often reserved for pre-pubescent voices.
3. 3. Contralto/Countertenor: Contraltos and countertenors can go from F below middle C to the second F above middle C. Contralto is a term reserved for women singers, while countertenor refers to men’s singing voices.
4. 4. Tenor: Tenors range from B below middle C to A above middle C. This is often a high, adult male voice.
5. 5. Baritone: This voice can go from the second G below middle C to F above middle C. A baritone voice is usually associated with a mid-range male voice.
6. 6. Bass: Someone who is a bass ranges from the second E below middle C to E above middle C. A bass voice is usually associated with a low, adult male voice type.

There are a few different techniques you can use to find your natural singing voice. Start with these steps to find the right range and vocal classification that you can comfortably sing in:

1. 1. Eat the right foods. Consume foods and liquids one to two hours before you plan to warm up your vocal cords. Avoid eating heavy or acidic foods, or drinking liquids with too much fat or gas, like milk or soda. Caffeine constricts vocal cords, so skip the coffee as well. Eat and drink warm items that are warm or at room temperature.
2. 2. Do a vocal warm-up. Begin with breathing exercises, which help you relax and ease tension. With your lips gently sealed, take a deep breath in through your nose, then release your breath while softly humming. Repeat this warm up technique until you feel you have control over your breath. Warming vocal exercises also help your vocal cords come to life. Try making deep purring sounds, executing vocal runs by singing a single note up and down in scale, or practice singing your octaves. Sing your octaves by making various vowel sounds like “aaah” or “eeee.” Start singing in your neutral voice, and slowly work your way up the scale. This will exercise your vocal cords, helping to make them longer and thinner.
3. 3. Determine your chest voice. Your chest voice is your speaking voice. It comes mainly from your diaphragm and the thicker, shorter vocal folds therein. This is where the voice sounds most powerful, clear, and full, and therefore, it’s where most singers draw most of their notes from, including low notes. When you sing or speak with your chest voice, you will feel a vibration in your upper chest. Singing high notes with your chest voice means you are “belting,” a way to provide power to those high notes, giving them a fuller, grittier sound.
4. 4. Find your head voice. Your head singing voice—also known as falsetto voice—uses longer, thinner vocal folds, making it easier to reach a higher range. Try talking in a high-pitched, squeaky voice like Mickey Mouse. Do you feel the vibration on the back of your neck? That is your falsetto.
5. 5. Work on your mixed voice. Mixed voice is a method of singing that uses both your chest voice and your head voice: The head voice allows you to reach higher notes, while the chest voice provides strength. Singing in this area of your chest and throat can give you better control over your voice and the notes you can hit.
6. 6. Try a vocal range test. Compare your lower notes with the highest notes you can sing and mark them on a piano or keyboard (or a digital range finder) to isolate the range of notes where you feel most comfortable singing. Your true singing range may fall within a higher or lower range of notes, but this exercise will let you find the closest suitable voice range you can further hone with vocal exercises.
7. 7. Work with a vocal coach. Taking singing courses can help you find your true voice and determine where your range lies. You can make plenty of progress on your own with practice and research, but taking singing lessons from a qualified professional singing teacher can also aid in your efforts to hone your voice and perhaps become a great singer.
8. 8. Choose songs within your range. Once you figure out your range, choose songs that fall within a comfortable range for your voice tone and type. Prioritize songs by vocalists that have a similar range to you. Straining your voice beyond your current capabilities can cause vocal strain and lead to permanent damage later on.

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